No Need for Dragonballs episode 2 Christmas
by Russ
Summary: A new addition to the Tenchi universe


Episode 2- Christmas  
  
no need for dragonballs  
  
  
Tenchi Muyo and Dragonball Z is owned/copyrighted by their respective companies.  
  
  
It was the morning of December 24, the day before Christmas. The sun had already crested the mountains and had begun shining its rays of life into the windows of the Masaki home. But despite its life giving energy, most of the vegetation outside of the house was brown, hibernating for the long winter. Frost covered most of the dead, dried up leaves that remained on the bushes and carpeted the grass in a sparkling sea of silver light. The lake was frozen solid, waiting for the spring thaw. The temperature outside was considerably below freezing, and there was no wind. However, one particular individual had one of the weirdest sleeping habits out of anybody most people have ever seen.  
Sleeping soundly with his window wide open, Russ was contentedly sawing logs under his mountain of covers. A very light coating of frost was on his comforter, but it didn't intrude into the room any further than that. He had his heat vent turned off since he had the battle with Kain, and had slept with his window open every day since that point, and his fan was turned on, but wasn't blowing on him. Sasami, Aeka, Ryoko, and Tenchi all couldn't figure out how he could tolerate that level of coldness in his room, especially when he occasionally complained that it was too cold in the living room. Whenever one of them was sent to wake him, they'd usually wind up fighting over it because nobody wanted to go into a room where the temperature was as cold as it was outside.  
Ryoko tried to do it once, but she wasn't able to wake Russ up and she chickened out and ran back to Tenchi, complaining that it was far too cold for her to go in there and that it would take far too long to rouse the sleeping saiyan out of his heavy doze.  
Aeka had done it on several occasions, but she'd always dress up like she was going outside before venturing into his room. Putting on her heavy coat and mittens, she'd go into his room, spend about five minutes shaking Russ to no avail, and then finally just throw off all of his covers. That usually got him up in about five seconds, causing him to run out of the room shivering cold. But it put him in a bad mood for part of the day. He hated being woken up for any reason. Like most people, he preferred to wake up on his own.  
Sasami, on the other hand, was a bit more creative in getting Russ awake. Her favorite way was simply putting Ryo-Ohki on Russ's face, patiently waiting for him to have his allergic reaction to the cabbit. After about five minutes, he'd start sneezing and then drag himself out of bed. Despising that method the most, Russ would usually try to think of some way to get revenge on the sneaky princess for each and every time he woke up in a fit of sneezing. And of course, because Russ hated it so much, it quickly became her favorite.  
Opening his door and stepping out into the warm hallway, letting out a huge rush of freezing cold air, Russ let out a gigantic yawn and raised his arms over his head, letting out a deep groan in a revitalizing stretch, closed his bedroom door, and then began to trudge to the bathroom in a daze. Exercising and pushing himself to his limits completely wore him out on a daily basis. Finally taking Washu's gravity machine to its peak of two thousand times normal Earth gravity, he had asked the scientist if she could make it any more powerful, but she said that doing so would be impossible. Plus she didn't have a power source large enough to make it any stronger, nor could she use Russ's own energy to power it. Disappointed, he didn't argue with her, but he did continue to use it at its maximum level, even though it wasn't giving him as much benefit as it used to. He did figure that she was fibbing slightly and just didn't want to help, but he kept his mouth shut, deciding to just deal with the setback.  
Slowly making his way downstairs, he glanced into the living room, which was empty of life, but looked absolutely beautiful. A tall Christmas tree stood in the corner of the room where the TV used to be, and there were many decorations hung around the room as well. Garland was strung up on the banister and several ornaments were hanging off of that, and a small bunch of mistletoe was hanging over the kitchen door. Various other figurines and decorations were strategically placed throughout the room, and it looked absolutely perfect. An enormous stack of presents was positioned under and around the Christmas tree, all waiting to be opened on Christmas Day.  
Looking from side to side cautiously, Russ made his way over to the gifts, eyeballing the various nametags, trying to figure out who got whom what. Several large packages were marked with Sasami's name and smaller, flat presents had Tenchi's, Ryoko's, Aeka's, Nobuyuki's, Lord Katsuhito's, and Washu's names on them. However, try as he did, he couldn't find one with his name on it. But there were still more presents under the ones on top, and since he didn't want to disturb the setting, he assumed that at least one of them were probably for him.  
He had already gone shopping for everybody, buying each person something that he figured they'd want. Having bought Sasami a new winter coat and mittens, he thought she'd like that because he overheard the princess complain that her current one was getting a little small and she was tired of the colors. For the others, he bought Aeka a new kimono, colored green, gray, and red. For Mihoshi, three boxes of those chocolate, caramel, and pecan turtle candies. Russ was almost going to keep a box since he was crazy about those too. He bought Nobuyuki a new set of architect tools and pencils, and he bought Katsuhito a gag gift of a Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, and cool set of sunglasses. Russ started snickering quietly to himself as he pictured the wizened man in those clothes. Ryoko was a tough one to buy for, but he settled on a new chick-flick movie that had come out, and he bought Tenchi a new style of karate gi that had come out only recently. It was very colorful and had a few interesting designs on it in kanji. One of the symbols on the shoulder had read Tenchi, and he figured that it was very cool and that Tenchi would like it. He bought Kiyone a gift certificate for two to a very high-class restaurant in Tokyo, hoping that it would cheer her up a bit. She was down in the dumps for a little while, but she had come out of it about a week ago. The stress from her financial troubles was starting to get to her. Shopping for Washu was fun to say the least. Surfing the Internet at a local library, he came across a website that had geek-oriented merchandise. There, he managed to find a watch that would tell time in binary. Smiling the whole time he filled out the order form, he knew he found the perfect gift for her.   
Yawning once again, Russ turned away from the tree and made his way to the bathroom, intending to take a nice, hot shower to start the day. Even though it was the day before Christmas, he felt that he had to get in a little bit of training. There was really nothing else to do. He did have his share of chores around the house, which mainly consisted of sweeping leaves off of the path and stairway to the shrine. It was a piece of cake for him since he used his energy to create a massive amount of wind that simply cleared the steps of the debris. Tenchi glared at him and was a bit jealous, since it usually took him at least an hour to do the steps alone, and Russ could do it in ten minutes or less.  
Reaching the bathroom door, Russ slid it back into the wall, noticed that it went into the women's bath again, and he slid it shut without even peering inside. Trying again, he re-opened the door into the men's bath and he stepped inside, shedding his clothes and turning on the hot water. This was the third time that someone has tried to trick him into going into that bath. Having never peered inside, he knew if he did, one of the girls would've probably been in there and the last thing he wanted to be accused of was being a peeping tom. However, he could never figure out who kept doing that. He stepped into the steam that came from the hot water and allowed his body to relax, letting the near-scalding water run over his muscular frame and drip into the bathtub below.  
  
"Dammit, I can never trick him into coming in here," Aeka muttered to herself, looking at the closed door and listening to the quiet echo of the running water from the men's bath. Having become more aggressive in her pursuit of Russ's affections, she had begun to try various things to get his attention. Her latest thing was leaving the bathroom door open a very slight crack, which would cause the dimension shift to not occur, and would allow Russ to open the door to the wrong bathroom. However, all three times, Russ just looked into the room and closed the door, matter of factly, as if he expected it. Maybe next time she'd ask Washu to make the door open to the women's bath for him no matter what he did, just for a day. She was having a lot of fun teasing him.  
He never seemed to mind her physical touch, though, so that was a good thing. On occasion, she'd hang on his arm or hug him when she was feeling down, and he always returned the attention, but only as a friend and not as someone who wanted something more. It drove Aeka nuts, but she did a great job of concealing it from Russ. He had no idea about how she desired him, both physically and emotionally. He was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most handsome, well-built, interesting man she had ever known. Easy going, always caring, and a little mischievous, he was what she was looking for. Tenchi was too, even though Tenchi was a little more stiff and strict, but that was of a time long passed and she figured it was time to move onto other things. He was Ryoko's, but someone had come along to fill that void. At least, she hoped he would.  
Sighing to herself, she lay back in the warm water and stared at the ceiling, letting her mind wander, still listening to the soft patter of water from the adjacent bath. "What is it going to take to make him love me?" she quietly said to herself, listening to her voice reverberate around the bathroom. Looking into the clear water at her legs, she rubbed them gently. They were much stronger than they used to be, as she had trained with Russ on many occasions. She still maintained her soft, alabaster skin and gorgeous figure, but she could feel the added strength throughout her body and spirit. Training with him was not only fun, but it also gave her something to do and look forward to. Of course, the real reason behind it all was to be closer to Russ. She blushed slightly and smiled, knowing that he probably enjoyed her company as well. He was as good of a talker was he was a listener. She always had stories to tell him and things of wonder to describe, and he always listened to all of it. It was wonderful to have someone who seemed to show genuine interest in the things she had to say. It made her feel good, and he was good at making her happy.  
Getting up out of the water, she stepped over the tiles with her bucket of cleaning products and began to wash herself, carefully lathering her violet hair. The foam built up and plopped off of her head in sudsy globs, covering the tile next to her. Doing her best to avoid tangling her silky smooth hair, she continued to run her fingers through it in a steady rhythm, becoming a little envious of Tenchi and Ryoko. They had both, on multiple occasions, invaded the women's bath to wash each other, but in Aeka's eyes, they were too busy playing to really clean themselves up. Whenever they'd both come into the bath, Aeka would shyly cover her womanhood, blushing the whole time, and quickly dress herself and then vacate the bath. Tenchi would never look, much to her relief, but Ryoko would always poke fun at her, asking her if she was embarrassed to show Tenchi what she was made of. Unconsciously scrubbing her hair a little harder, she realized what she was doing when her head started to hurt a little. But a few moments later, she sadly looked at the empty space next to her, wishing that one day that Russ may want to be by her side for the same thing. Grabbing her bucket, she filled it with the warm water from the bath and dumped it over her head, rinsing out a tremendous amount of lather. She dumped a second bucket over her head to make sure she got all the soap out, and then she began to wash her body, carefully scrubbing every single portion of her skin, being careful to work around the necklace that Tenchi and Ryoko had given her almost half a year ago.  
"I hope he gives me a sign one of these days that he's willing to accept me into his heart," Aeka thought to herself. Looking to see that wonderful smile of his every day of her life was something that she wanted more than anything, and she had to find a way to make it happen. Finishing her washing, she again dumped several buckets of water over her body, and then made her way over to the towels, where she quickly dried herself. She had brought a fresh set of clothes with her into the bath, and she held up the shirt in front of herself. It was a light blue sweater, made on Earth, with several designs on the front of it. It had a hood attached to the back and a couple strings from it hung down the front.  
"Weird clothing, these earthlings have," she said to herself, setting it down and picking up the undershirt. Quickly putting it on along with her other undergarments, she slid the sweater over her head, carefully pulling her hair out of the back of it, and tested the fit. Surprisingly, the material was soft and warm, and she found it to her liking. Holding up a pair of jeans, she frowned at the styling. Deciding to deal with it, she slid her legs into the pants and hitched them up, snapping the button around her waist, again, shifting it around to test the fit. The material was a little rougher than what she was used to, but she felt that she did look good in them. The blue sweater was a lighter shade than the jeans were, but they still went together quite well. One long pocket was around her waist, and she carefully put both her hands in on either side, and then admired herself in the mirror, noticing that she really did look good in Earth clothing. Hoping that it would catch Russ's attention, she took notice that the soft patter of water had ceased from the men's bath, and she figured that Russ had finished his morning shower. Hoping to catch him on his way out, she made her way over to the bathroom door.  
  
"Tenchi? Are you awake?" Ryoko whispered over to her lover, who appeared to still be dozing quietly next to her. She had her body pressed closely to his, feeling his warmth, as the temperature in the room was below her liking. It was just too cold for her tastes. She always did say that she hated Earth because of the bad weather, but she also said that she'd endure Hell to be with Tenchi, and because Earth was his home, she made it her home. She figured that she could deal with a little bit of coldness if it meant spending the rest of her life with him. And besides, he was plenty warm enough for her.  
"Good morning, Ryoko. Merry Christmas," Tenchi whispered back, looking into her golden, kittenish eyes. He bent and kissed her, then rolled onto his side to face her directly.  
Ryoko smiled. "It isn't Christmas until tomorrow, silly," she giggled quietly, and then kissed him.  
Tenchi returned the kiss and continued to smile. Six months ago, he wouldn't have been caught dead sleeping with any of the girls, but now, he couldn't believe what he had missed, and it still felt almost surreal that he was here with the most beautiful girl in existence. She had always been there for him, even after he had gotten mad at her and done stuff that had hurt her feelings in the past. He regretted doing those things now, especially after he learned how emotionally sensitive she was. Those awful things he said to her years ago must've really hurt her. On occasion, he felt that he didn't deserve her love, devotion, or passion. However, whenever he felt that way, Ryoko would do something to bring him out of his depression, almost as if she could sense that he was troubled. She was such a remarkable girl in so many ways that mere words couldn't describe it.   
He didn't know it at the time, but his heart had a void, an emptiness, that was waiting to be filled with the love of another. That emptiness had existed since his mother had died, but his mind chose to ignore it, leaving his heart to ache. Never having a womanly figure as a part of his upbringing, he was bewildered when all the girls had entered his life, causing his normal routine to go up into a cloud of chaos and fun. That void had slowly begun to fill, but only part way. Being caught in between both girls tore him apart, but he never allowed either Aeka or Ryoko to know about it. Hiding his own feelings and burying them deep down, he did his best to be impartial to both girls, knowing that one day he would have to eventually choose. That day came swiftly, and he knew that the choice was made, shortly after he came back from the Haruna incident. Ryoko seemed to be more calm and collective, but seemed to stay close to him far more than Aeka did. That was further engraved into his mind when Ryoko would hang on him, but not have Aeka object anymore. Instead, she'd simply smile and continue with whatever she was doing, trying her best to hide her jealousy, sadness, and depression. The thing was, HE never chose. Both girls decided for him. However, it still hurt him and he knew it hurt Aeka, but that pain had become so miniscule now that he simply forgot that it was ever there.  
If Russ hadn't arrived when he did, things might've been very different. As far as he knew, she was planning on returning to Jurai to assume her duties as the Royal Princess. She had asked him on one occasion that if she ever had to return to Jurai, if he'd allow Sasami to remain here, since she figured Sasami would've wanted that. Realizing that she was still extremely upset over the way the decision was made, he made certain that she knew that she could remain at his place for as long as she wanted. He figured that she was just about ready to leave when Russ arrived and began living with them.  
Now Russ was a character. He had never, ever seen a man as well built as he was. A mountain of muscle was an understatement. Russ's arms were as thick as his head, and his legs were like tree trunks. He had known a few people similar in appearance to Russ, but all of them turned out to have a nasty, arrogant attitude that made his skin crawl. All they seemed to talk about were how many girls were attracted to them and how much they could bench press. But Russ was very different. He always did his best to be friendly to everybody, lend a helping hand, and all around try to be a nice guy. He was actually pretty smart too, unlike the other bodybuilders. In a way, Russ was similar to himself, but he was different as well. Instead of simply accepting Aeka like any of those other meatheads would have, he turned her down flat on the first day he met her, but not because of arrogance, but because he said that it was to protect her. He still wasn't sure why he said it that way, but it came as a surprise to him.  
In the past six months, watching both Aeka and Russ get to know each other better, he noticed a change in both individuals. Aeka had become a little more aggressive in her quest to make him hers, and Russ didn't seem to run away from her as often as he used to. They spent a tremendous amount of time together, whether it be training, cooking, cleaning, shopping, eating, watching a movie, playing games, or any number of activities. They almost appeared as a couple, but Russ always made sure that she knew that they were just friends. He knew those words hurt Aeka again and again, and he had confronted Russ about it on several occasions, but he would always calmly explain why he did what he did. The strange thing was the reason was always different. One time it was to protect her. Another time it was because he wasn't interested. And yet another time it was because he wasn't ready yet. Every excuse beat around the same bush, and that was he simply didn't want a girlfriend. But being a man himself, he still couldn't figure out why a man wouldn't want to take a mate for himself. It almost felt like it was out of a fictional movie. If it had been Ryoko or Aeka by herself when either entered his life, he probably would've fallen in love with one of them a lot sooner, but being torn between the two most gorgeous females on this side of the galaxy kept him from choosing and falling in love.  
"What are you thinking about, Tenchi?" Ryoko asked softly, gently running her fingers through Tenchi's hair. "You look lost in thought."  
"I am a little. I was just thinking about the last six months. Thinking about us, and thinking about Russ and Aeka. Just remembering some stuff that happened during that time." Tenchi reached over and gently caressed her arm, feeling his way down the length of her warm, soft body.  
"No need to worry about them, Tenchi. I think Russ will come around soon," Ryoko said, grasping Tenchi's hand in her own and giving it a tender squeeze. "He just needs a little more time or a swift kick in the rear to get him going."  
"I'm not so sure about that, Ryoko. He seems pretty serious about not wanting Aeka."  
Ryoko frowned, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I know. But she's been working at it and I think he's starting to loosen up a little. We'll have to wait and see."  
Tenchi yawned, rolled onto his back, and then sat up. "I suppose. I just hope he doesn't wind up hurting Aeka's feelings."  
"I think it's too late for that, Tenchi. He hurt her feelings the day he met her by telling her no."  
Sighing quietly to himself, he looked over at Ryoko, who was still snuggled under the covers. "I already know that any amount of pressure won't bend him, but would probably make him angry. We should just leave it alone. He may yet come around. We'll have to wait and see, like you said."  
"Yeah. I suppose you're right," she said, sitting up, feeling the cooler air rush onto her back, giving her goosebumps. Letting out an audible shiver, she latched onto Tenchi and smiled. "Brrrr! It's cold in here!"  
"Hah. This is warm compared to Russ's room. I don't know how in the world he can sleep like that," Tenchi said, wrapping his arm around his girl, feeling the goosebumps that sprouted on her back.  
"Me neither. Anyway, lets go downstairs and get something to eat, and then we can take a bath. Russ is probably still sleeping and Aeka is probably up destroying the kitchen," she giggled.  
Tenchi looked fearfully into Ryoko's face, and then smiled. "It's not like you or I can cook either," he teased. "Sasami is the master chef around here, but Russ comes in a close second. The food he makes tastes great, but is really not all that healthy. At least, not according to Washu. It works for him because he burns all of that energy when he exercises."  
"True. Anyway, let's go. I'm getting hungry. I'd even eat Aeka's cooking at this point," she said, letting her stomach croak loudly.  
Tenchi chuckled quietly as he tossed back the covers, letting both of them out of the bed to dress and head downstairs.  
  
Sasami was busy in the kitchen, as usual, preparing an extremely massive breakfast for everybody. Since Russ had come to live with them, she had begun making triple portions of everything, knowing full well that Russ was a garbage disposal; able to eat everything you threw at him. He used to tell her that he'd eat anything as long as it wasn't running too fast.  
Speedily slicing up a cucumber, she tipped the cutting board into the frying pan, allowing the cucumber slices to slide off. One slice missed the pan and fell onto the counter, but Sasami quickly picked it up and ate it, licking the water off of her fingers.  
"Hey, good morning, Sasami. What are you making today for breakfast?" Nobuyuki asked, peering into the kitchen from the doorway.  
Sasami turned and smiled. "Just the usual. A little of this, a little of that," she giggled.  
"Ahhh. Do you need any help in there?"  
"Nope! I'm just about finished anyway. Thanks for the offer though!" she answered, smiling, and then turning toward the frying pan, stirring the vegetables with her cooking chopsticks.  
Nobuyuki smiled, remaining in the doorway as he watched her dart around the kitchen, gathering ingredients and cooking them skillfully. She was so full of life and energy that it made him think back to the love of his life, Achika. She too was always happy, always outgoing, and could always bring a smile to his face no matter what mood he was in. Just the sight of her gorgeous figure, her wonderful brown eyes, her black hair in a pony tail, was enough to make him not have a care in the world.   
He could see a lot of Achika in Sasami, as she hurried around the kitchen. She was usually happy, was always caring, and she was an incredibly hard worker. She never really took a day to herself, but if she did, the whole house would probably fall apart. It almost did when she got the flu about a month ago. She was out of it for a couple days, but fortunately, Russ was around to take over. He did everything she had done and more, saying that she needed her rest. Aeka did her best to help in the kitchen but she'd always botch whatever it was she was cooking. Raw sewage would've probably had a more appealing taste than some of the awful things that, quite literally, crawled out of her frying pan as if it were still alive. Most of them would disintegrate when someone touched it. Russ teased her on several occasions, saying that she was as bad of a cook as Akane from Ranma ½ and was just as ill tempered. Nobuyuki laughed quietly to himself as he remembered the chaos that ensued. For nearly five minutes, Aeka chased Russ around the kitchen with a meat cleaver, screaming that she was going to kill him, which made Russ only laugh that much harder.  
"Do you need something?" Sasami asked, noticing that Nobuyuki hadn't moved from his spot in the doorway.  
Suddenly realizing that he was caught daydreaming, he smiled and shook his head no. "Sorry. I'll let you get back to work." He turned and left the kitchen, leaving Sasami watching after him in concern.  
  
"Good morning, Russ," Aeka greeted, opening the door after Russ had left the men's bath.  
Russ turned around and smiled, and had a double take when he saw what Aeka was wearing. "G'morning. Nice sweater," he said. "I thought you didn't like Earth clothes." Russ was dressed in a sweater and jeans as well, except his sweater was red.  
She grinned and made her way over to the saiyan. "Most of the time I don't, but I like these sweaters. Do… you think it looks good on me?"  
Russ stopped in his tracks, a small amount of perspiration covering his head. His eyes wandered up and down her figure, and he suddenly felt a little flushed. She watched him curiously, raising her eyebrow, getting a little closer to him in an attempt to make him uncomfortable, and to allow him to look down her sweater, giving him a little view. Snickering quietly to himself, he decided to be a smartass this morning. "Does my opinion matter?" he questioned flatly.  
Aeka took it right in stride. "No, not really."  
Cocking his eyebrow curiously, he started chuckling. "Good answer. I'm glad you loosened up a little."  
"I thought you'd like that," she said, pushing her way past him, letting her long ponytails hang out behind her. "I'm hungry."  
"Me too."  
"You're always hungry," Aeka retorted.  
Russ stuck out his tongue and gave her a raspberry, making hand gestures to enhance the effect, and he continued to quietly make a ruckus behind her back as they made their way to the breakfast table. Aeka knew what he was doing, but decided to ignore it.  
"Hello everyone," Russ said, noticing everybody seated at the table already. Kiyone, Mihoshi, Katsuhito, Nobuyuki, Sasami, Ryoko, and Tenchi were all there, in the process of putting food on their plates.  
"Hi Aeka! It's been a while," Kiyone greeted. "Same goes for you, Russ. How have you two been?"  
"Well, we…" they both said in unison. They looked at each other and Russ gestured for her to go ahead.  
"We've been doing pretty good. It's been really cold outside, so I haven't done much, but Russ here still trains like there is no tomorrow," Aeka explained. "I don't know how he can stand such cold weather."  
Kiyone laughed. "He's dedicated. That's all there is to it."  
Russ grinned. "Thanks Kiyone. How have you and Mihoshi been doing? Are you looking forward to tomorrow?"  
"Oh yes!" Mihoshi said, interrupting her partner. "We haven't had much free time to do anything since we're still working our butts off to pay for the rent…"  
"Would you shut up about that Mihoshi?!" Kiyone yelled, clamping her hand over the blonde's mouth. "You do this every single time anybody asks that!"  
Russ shook his head. "Sorry to hear about that. I know it's rough, but you two girls do a great job," he said, giving them both a big smile.  
"Thanks. I needed to hear that," Kiyone said, sounding relieved.  
Russ eyeballed all the food that was on the table, causing his stomach to roar in anticipation. "BREAKFAST TIME!" he said, zanzokening to his seat at the table and immediately stuffing food in his face. However, the family kept right on eating, as they had finally gotten used to the way he consumed his food.  
Aeka shook her head and laughed, then took her seat next to him and began to delicately eat her meal.  
  
It was already dark outside when Russ finished his training, even though it was only about seven in the evening. It was still cold, just a hairline above freezing, and an icy breeze was blowing from the west. The sky was overcast, indicating a weather system was moving into the area. After a couple minutes, a few flurries of snow began to fall, steadily increasing and gathering in intensity.  
Russ stood outside next to the lake, watching the snowflakes drift onto the ground, listening to the silence of the surrounding area. He could barely make out the wind as it blew through the bare branches of the hibernating trees, but he could feel it through his coat and long underwear. The snow always gave him a sense of peace and solitude. It was very soothing to watch the snowflakes come down from the sky in irregular patterns, only to fall apart when they hit the ground or bumped into his coat.  
It had been years since Russ had snow on Christmas day. Most of the time while he lived in Michigan of the United States, they wouldn't get a large quantity of snow until after the holidays. Michigan had some really screwy weather. It could be sixty degrees outside one day and literally have five inches of snow on the ground the next. At least the weather in Japan was a little more moderate.  
He slowly walked off toward the shrine steps, his feet leaving tracks in the dusting of snow. Making his way up the long stairway, he kept himself very quiet, just admiring the fluffy white stuff that came down, covering the ground. A trail of footprints followed him up the stairway, as he made his way higher and higher toward the shrine. Finally reaching the top, he looked around the land, which was bare, dead, and lifeless, except for the glimmer of candlelight that danced in Katsuhito's window. Looking past the shrine, he saw another clearing, which seemed to be another bluff overlooking another valley. Carefully, quietly, making his way there, he stopped when he reached the edge and took in the surrounding area. It was absolutely huge and beautiful, but a little difficult to see through the millions of snowflakes that fell from the sky. Looking off to his right, he noticed a tree there and a gravestone.  
"Hmmm…" he muttered to himself as he made his way over and knelt down in front of it. The stone read, "Achika. May her body and soul rest in peace."  
"I had no idea that her grave was actually here at this shrine," Russ said to Katsuhito, who had come up behind him.  
Katsuhito grinned. "There's no sneaking up on you, is there?"  
Russ shook his head. "Nah. When I'm alone and there is not much life around, I can sense just about anything coming my way. Your life force is a dead giveaway, no matter how far you lower it. About the only person who probably could sneak up on me would be Zorpheus. We both learned the ability to cloak our energy so we could sneak up on others."  
"I see. Anyway, what are you doing out here?" the wizened man asked, now standing next to Russ.  
"Just enjoying the snow," he replied. "This is the first time I've seen Achika's grave over here. I guess I just never noticed it before," Russ said, looking down at the stone.  
Katsuhito's expression was unreadable. "It was snowing almost like this, on the day that she died. I always come out here to pay my respects to my daughter on the first snowfall of the year," he explained.  
Russ looked at him in mild surprise. "She was your daughter? I never knew. I'm sorry," Russ said, unable to express his feelings any better than that at the moment.  
"It's okay. I miss her and so do Nobuyuki and Tenchi. If I know them, they'll be out here in a little while to pay their respects as well."  
Turning back to the gravestone, Russ looked down on it once more. "Well, I guess I better head back to the house. There isn't much for me to do right now. I don't feel like playing the organ or doing much of anything. Not many people know this, but I always get depressed around the Christmas holiday. I don't know why, especially when everybody is usually so festive, bright, and cheery." He laughed to himself. "I sound silly, don't I?"  
Katsuhito shook his head. "No. A lot of people seem to get depressed around Christmas. The stress of making others happy usually weighs heavily on them. If a person has no family, that makes them feel depressed because Christmas is so family oriented."  
His eyes widening a little, Russ looked over at the Shinto priest. "I think that's it. That may be why I get so down during this season. I have no family left."  
Both of their eyes met for a moment, until Russ hung his head. "My parents died some time ago. I have no brothers or sisters and I don't have very many close friends. Living with you guys has slightly lifted that burden, but it still isn't the same. At least, not yet."  
"It takes time to overcome any kind of grief. Some people never get over it. Tenchi still greatly misses his mother, even though he barely knew her. She died when he was very young, but despite that, he still thinks of her constantly. There have been many occasions where he had asked me about Achika and what she was like. About the only memories we have left of her are a handful of photographs and an old eight millimeter film that Nobuyuki took of her when they began dating," Katsuhito explained, watching Russ's changing expressions. "Ever since Kain had re-appeared, he again started questioning why that monster had done what he had done and why he took his mother away from him."  
Russ nodded his head. "I see. How come you didn't come to help us fight Kain when he appeared? I know you must've sensed him."  
"There was nothing that I could do. Tenchi has far surpassed my own abilities when he learned to control the Lighthawk Wings. I did watch from the top of the hill that day and was amazed at my grandson's abilities. However, he is still sloppy with a sword."  
Russ chuckled. "I know. I watch the way you pound him from time to time and he never seems to get the hang of it."  
Grinning, Katsuhito turned toward the cliff and made his way to the edge, looking into the valley below. "I also saw you fight Kain down there. I've never seen anything like the things you had done in my entire life. The sheer amount of energy you were producing was nothing short of godlike. How did you become so powerful? Before we met you, the Jurians were the most powerful beings in existence."  
Russ stepped up next to Katsuhito and looked out into the gray sky. "Saiyans were made to be a warrior race. The main goals of saiyans in the past were to become the most powerful race in the universe. Our bodies were designed to fight and nothing more. When we lose, we become stronger. The saiyan race developed many techniques and attacks to help us in our endeavors, but even so, there were a few people out there who were still far more powerful than us. The Frieza guy I told you about some time ago, used to use our race as slaves. He'd order us to take over planets for his ever-growing empire. One day, we rebelled, and lost. Frieza completely annihilated our planet and everybody on it. Hundreds of millions lost their lives that day except for Goku, Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, and our little contingent of rejects that had settled on a distant planet on the other side of the galaxy. Frieza was afraid of us. Afraid that one of us would eventually become a super saiyan, like myself. That was a threat to his power, so he eliminated it, or at least, tried to," Russ described, calling on the memories of his upbringing and the stories his father had told him. "We gain strength at a rapid pace and we learn to fight almost before we can walk. That is why we're so strong. When you saw my hair and energy turn yellow and my eyes green, you saw my transformation into a super saiyan. And you want to know something that is even wilder than that? There are levels beyond what you saw. Three more levels, to be exact. What you saw was only a small amount of power that our bodies are capable of generating, but I haven't reached the next level yet. But I'm close. I can feel it."  
"You saiyans are certainly the most powerful people I've ever seen. What are you going to do when Zorpheus arrives?" Katsuhito questioned. "I'd be worried about you two destroying the planet and everybody on it. What about us?"  
"I've already given that a lot of consideration, and Washu has agreed to an idea that I had. She has already begun work on it," Russ said, looking into Katsuhito's violet eyes.  
Katsuhito looked at him curiously. "Well?"  
"Washu has made a separate dimension from this one for us to fight in. The universe is identical to this one, except, no intelligent life. Just plants. It's a perfectly replicated Earth and solar system. All that needs to happen when he arrives is to transport the two of us there and we can fight unobstructed. Whatever goes on in there should not affect this dimension. When we transport, everybody except us will seem to have disappeared, when in fact, it's us who will be moved. It's one thing that Washu was more than willing to help me out with."  
Katsuhito nodded his head in approval. "I see. Excellent idea."  
"You will be able to watch us as well, since Washu can use her technology to see into that other dimension. But what will go on in there is far beyond what you've seen already. Me blowing away Kain was child's play in comparison to the way Zorpheus and myself will be doing."  
"I see. Well, we should be getting back inside. Sasami will probably want to go to bed early in hopes that Santa will bring some goodies for her," Katsuhito said, grinning.  
Russ smiled. "I think Santa is going to be very kind to everybody this year. Ho ho ho," he chuckled.  
Katsuhito raised an eyebrow and looked at Russ curiously. "I have a feeling you have a couple of surprises in store for us."  
Grinning widely, Russ nodded his head. "You'll just have to wait and see for tomorrow. There will be a few things that are nothing short of a miracle."  
"I look forward to it then."  
"Okay. Good evening, Lord Katsuhito."  
"See you in the morning, Russ."  
  
"Come on you guys! The sooner we go to bed the sooner morning will come," Sasami begged, pulling on her sister's arm.  
It was nine o'clock at night, and it was about an hour before everybody usually went to bed. Sasami was very anxious and jumpy, as most young children are when it comes to Christmas. She was convinced Santa was going to come, as she had learned of the Earth fable from Tenchi. Instead of telling her that he didn't exist, they decided to allow her to believe in him and she somehow managed to convince herself that he really did exist.  
"Okay, okay. We're going," Aeka responded, annoyed, as her sister had been bugging everybody to go to bed for the past hour.  
"Good. Now everybody, up to bed!" Sasami commanded, drawing a big grin from everybody, including Russ.  
"Yes, your highness," Russ responded, marching himself up to his bedroom, followed by everybody else. Sliding open his door, a blast of cold air slammed into his skin, causing him to break out in goosebumps. Kiyone and Mihoshi were right behind him when he opened his door and they looked at him in shock.  
"Why is it so cold in your room, Russ?" Kiyone asked as he stepped inside.  
Russ turned around and grinned. "My window is wide open. This is how I sleep," he answered, then slid his door closed, leaving a flabbergasted pair of Galaxy Police officers in the hallway.  
"Wow," Mihoshi said, blankly looking at his door.  
"Come on. We better head off to bed too or Sasami will have our heads."  
Mihoshi laughed. "And Santa comes tonight! Yay!"  
Kiyone just hung her head in disgust and marched off to her room, tailed by her partner.  
  
A short five minutes later, everybody was in his or her rooms and under their blankets, trying to fall asleep. Insomnia was present in nearly every instance, but they slowly managed to doze off, one at a time. The only person who did not fall asleep was Russ, as he was patiently waiting for everyone else to drift into unconsciousness. Nearly two hours after he went to bed, he got back up, quietly let himself out of his room, and being extra careful to not make any noise, he floated down the stairs and into the living room, where he fished his coat out of the closet. Speedily putting it on, he stepped outside, closed the door behind him, and lifted off into the night sky, heading off to Korin's tower.  
As he got further away from the Masaki home, he began to pour his energy into flying, causing his aura to flare around him in a brilliant shade of green. A vapor trail marked his flight path as he moved faster and faster, and he made his way to the tower in very little time. Reaching the base of the tower, he flew straight up for a few moments until he reached Kame's lookout, where Dende and Mister Popo were waiting for him.  
"Hi! How are you guys doing?" Russ greeted. He landed in front of them and nodded his head in respect.  
"Hello, Russ. We're doing well. It's nice to see you again," Dende said, stepping over to the saiyan and extending his right hand and arm, which he grasped in a warm handshake.  
Russ smiled widely. "I'm glad to hear it. Mister Popo, you look well."  
"I am," he responded in his deep voice. "Thank you."  
"You're welcome. Anyway, lets get straight to the point. Did you guys manage to collect the Dragonballs?"  
Reaching behind his back to a sack he had, Dende handed it over to Russ. Carefully untying the string around it, an orange ball shone in the dim sunlight that the lookout still had. Four stars were in the middle of the ball, and under it, six more balls, each with a corresponding number of stars.  
"Oh, this is too awesome. I really, really appreciate this you guys. But I do have a question. Can I make a wish that would modify the dragon slightly?"  
"What did you have in mind, Russ?" Dende questioned.  
Russ looked at the balls, and then at the namek. "I want to take away the dragon's ability to grant immortality to anyone who asks for it."  
Looking dumbfounded for a moment, Dende scratched his head. "I don't know. You'd have to ask him."  
"What is his name, anyway?"  
"Shenron is the dragon's name," Popo said.  
"Hmmm. Well, let's get this show on the road and see what I can do. Again, thanks a million for finding these things for me. I don't know what I can do to repay this favor," Russ said, looking at the smiling namek and at Popo.  
"It's okay. You're so much like Goku in mind and spirit that it was a treat to be able to do this for you. No need to thank us."  
Russ bowed deeply. "Thank you."  
Stepping away from the temple and into the courtyard, Russ carefully arranged all seven balls in a circle, with the seven star ball in the middle. All the balls began to glow with energy when he set the last one in place, and he backed off a bit, startled that it began doing that.  
"Heh. I guess I'm a little jumpy with anticipation," Russ called back to Dende. "Here we go!"  
Stepping back several paces, he spread his arms wide and called forth the dragon. "Shenron! Eternal Dragon! Appear before me and grant my wishes!" he yelled.  
The balls began to glow intensely, and the clouds over Kame's lookout grew dark and ominous, as thunderclaps roared in the distance. Yellow streaks of lightning began arcing through the clouds, and then, without warning, a massive bolt of golden lightning slammed into the balls, causing them to light up in a brilliant flash of yellow energy. Russ shielded his eyes in surprise and watched the spectacle in awe, as a huge, golden, snakelike thing formed in the clouds over his head. After a few more minutes, the golden energy faded away and a massive, long green dragon floated over his head.  
"My god, LOOK at that thing," Russ whispered to himself, as this was the first time he had ever seen something as radical as this.  
"You have summoned me. I will now grant you three wishes. Tell me your first wish," Shenron rumbled, shaking the ground he stood on with his powerful, booming voice.  
"Eternal Dragon. Can I make a wish that will affect you?" Russ asked, finally overcoming his shock to seeing such a massive entity.   
Looking at him with his intense, blood red eyes, the dragon rumbled to himself. "Make your wish," he responded.  
"My first wish is for you to lose the ability to grant immortality to anyone or anything that asks for it," Russ shouted up to the beast, hoping against hope that he could grant such a request.  
Shenron's eyes began to glow an intense red, as his body glowed an incredible shade of yellow. A few moments later, the glowing ceased.  
"Your wish has been granted," he rumbled.  
Russ breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you, Eternal Dragon!"  
"Tell me your second wish," he requested.  
"Yes, of course. My second wish…" Russ said thoughtfully, and then remembered. "I know. My second wish is…"  
  
Strong, radiant sunlight pierced through the darkness, sending it away for the dawn of a new day. It was super bright outdoors, especially with the way the sun reflected off of the ten inches of snow that had fallen the night before. It sparkled like a perfect diamond, completely undisturbed. It was so peaceful and serene outside that it could've melted even the most foul of moods.  
Russ, ironically, was the first to awaken this morning of Christmas Day. Being extra quiet, he put on a new red sweater, which had 'Merry Christmas' etched in English across the front, the green lettering covered in white snow and icicles hanging off of some of the letters. Leaving his room very quietly, he crept downstairs into the living room where the light of dawn was able to illuminate the surrounding area, allowing him to see clearly. However, he closed the blinds that faced the lake, but there was still plenty of light remaining to be able to see clearly.  
He sat down on the organ bench and patiently waited for everybody else to wake up. It wasn't five minutes before he heard Sasami's voice and the light thumping of footsteps as she ran down the hallway to the stairs.  
"Good morning, Sasami! Merry Christmas!" Russ greeted her.  
"Merry Christmas, Russ!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck in an affectionate hug. "Can we open presents now?"  
Russ fell over and started laughing. "Hold your horses, Sasami. Wait for everybody else to come down here first, you know?"  
Aeka was next down the stairs, and she looked a little sleepy, but happy.  
"Merry Christmas, Aeka," Russ said with a big smile.  
"Same to you," she responded, giving him a hug. Russ blushed.  
"Why are these blinds closed?" Aeka asked while pointing to the ones that Russ had shut a few minutes ago.  
Russ stood up and moved toward her. "Don't open those yet. I'll let you know when you can, okay? And no peeking behind them either, or you'll ruin the surprise."  
"Is it for me?"  
"Maybe," Russ answered, grinning. "Just don't peek behind them. The same goes for you, Sasami," he said, watching her move over to the window, but she stopped when Russ caught her.  
"Rats," she muttered to herself, then went back to the couch where she plopped into the cushions, folding her arms over her chest.  
  
A few minutes later, the entire family had come downstairs and made their way into the living room. The tree was lit and so were the other decorations, and it looked positively festive. Russ smiled widely, as the happy mood was contagious. Nobuyuki had already gotten his video camera and was busy taping the whole thing. Lord Katsuhito had shown up a few moments later and made himself right at home.  
"Can we open presents NOW?" Sasami asked, looking like she was going to explode from the excitement.  
Russ laughed, and then smiled. "Yeah, go for it. I'll pass out the presents, if that's okay."  
"Hurry up then," the little princess ordered, fidgeting with her sweater in anticipation.  
Shaking his head, the saiyan made his way over to the tree and sat down on the floor, reached over for the first package, and read the nametag. "This one is for Sasami, from Aeka," he announced, handing over the green package.  
Eagerly shredding the wrapping paper, she withdrew a brand new china set from within the confines of the box. "Oh wow, these are absolutely beautiful. Thank you, Aeka!" she said, giving her sister a hug.  
"You're welcome, Sasami."  
"Okay, next up, we have Aeka, from Sasami!" Russ said, handing over another package.  
Carefully opening it up, she opened the box to find a brand new green bathrobe. Aeka held it up and admired it, then hugged her sister in gratitude.  
"Well, lets speed this up a bit," Russ said, grabbing several gifts from under the tree. "Kiyone, this is from Mihoshi. Washu, this is from Tenchi. Ryoko, this is from Katsuhito," he said, distributing the gifts. "Mihoshi, this is from Washu. Nobuyuki, this one is from me. Katsuhito, this one is from me," he said, handing it over with a slight grin. Katsuhito didn't notice.  
"Okay, let's see here," Russ said, shifting positions to get within reach of some of the other gifts. "Aeka, this one is from Washu. Sasami, this one is from Nobuyuki," he said, handing the little princess another gift. It took her about two seconds to completely destroy all the wrapping paper around it to uncover a new set of kitchen knives.  
"I've been wanting a new set of these! Thank you, father!" she said, giving Nobuyuki a big hug. He smiled and blushed.  
"Anything for you, Sasami! You deserve it."  
Russ continued to distribute the gifts to everybody, keeping the ones that had his name on it nearby. After nearly twenty minutes of ripping, tearing, and opening, all the gifts had been given. Russ got a variety of new clothes, including that same full-length leather coat that he saw in the mall about six months ago, complete with sunglasses. That came from Aeka, which he thanked her with a big hug. She seemed satisfied. He also got a bunch of new exercise suits, a variety of summer clothing including a new swimsuit, shorts, and t-shirts. Unfortunately, he didn't get anything in terms of new technology, and he was slightly hoping for something along those lines. But he didn't let it bother him.  
"Well, is everybody satisfied with your gifts?" Russ asked, still sitting on the floor.  
"Yes!" came the unanimous answer.  
"Hold everything!" Tenchi announced, standing up from his seat on the couch.  
Everybody stopped and looked at him, curious as to what he wanted.  
"I have one more gift to give."  
Watching him curiously, Tenchi walked over to where Ryoko was sitting and offered his hand, which she accepted graciously. Gently pulling her up, he stepped back a few paces and faced her, his face slightly blue and pale as his hands trembled.  
"Tenchi?" she said, looking at the tenseness in his face.  
He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to make himself relax. Dropping down to one knee, he reached behind him, pulled out a gift that he had stashed in his clothes behind his back, and clapped his hands together in front of him, revealing a very small velvet box. Looking at her in an intenseness that she had only seen a couple of times before, she waited for what he had to say or what he was going to do.  
"Ryoko, I know you've been waiting for this for a long time, and I'm finally ready for it," he said, opening up the small box, revealing a gorgeous, diamond engagement ring. "Will you marry me?"  
Jaws began dropping everywhere in the room, including Russ's. They all stood in stunned silence, completely in shock that Tenchi had just proposed to Ryoko.  
Ryoko herself stood quietly for a moment, until the tears welled up in her eyes and started falling down her cheeks. Nodding her head, she gave him his answer. "Yes. Yes, I will marry you."  
Standing up from his position on the floor, Tenchi removed the ring from the box and carefully placed it on her finger, and then kissed her passionately.  
Nobuyuki had videotaped the whole thing, and he too started crying, so very proud that his son had asked the girl he was in love with to marry him.   
A pair of hands started clapping, and everybody else joined in a moment later, giving Ryoko and Tenchi their very best. Everybody approved, even Aeka, who had a smile on her face as she clapped her hands together again and again.  
"Congratulations, you two," Russ said. "This is the first proposal I've ever seen in real life. May you two have a happy and fulfilled life together!"  
Tenchi and Ryoko smiled, kissed each other again, and then hugged each other, accepting everybody's approval with grace.  
"Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate it," Tenchi said, gently drying Ryoko's eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.  
Russ smiled. "Well, now it's MY turn to give you the REAL gifts that I picked out. I really went out on a limb this year, so I hope you guys appreciate these things."  
Everybody looked at him strangely, and waited for him to show them what he was talking about. Standing up and walking over to Nobuyuki, he stopped in front of him. "May I borrow your camera for this one?"  
"Certainly!" he said, carefully handing Russ his camcorder. "You push this button to record, this one to zoom in and out, and this one to manually focus, but you shouldn't need to mess with that."  
"Good. Okay," he said, making his way over to the blinds. "Aeka? Stand up and move to the front here, but stand in the middle of the room."  
Everybody turned to look at the Royal Princess, as she did as she was told. "What's this about, Russ?" she asked.  
Grinning and almost shaking with his own anticipation, he took in a deep breath. "Your gift was too big to fit in the house. But anyway, close your eyes. Everybody, try to keep your reactions quiet, as I don't want to ruin the surprise."  
Looking at each individual person, they nodded their heads as Aeka closed her eyes and waited. Turning around, Russ opened the blinds that faced the lake. Glancing back at Aeka and reading the completely baffled looks on everybody else's faces, he turned the camera onto Aeka.  
"Yu can open your eyes now, Aeka."  
When she did, her face couldn't have been more awestruck than having someone ask her to marry her too. Her hand went to her mouth and tears instantly welled up in her eyes as she looked out toward the lake.  
"Oh my god… Ryu-Oh… How… I don't… My god…" she stammered. Ryu-oh, her spaceship tree, was gone. But in its place, completely rebuilt as if it were never touched, her spaceship sat silently in the lake, awaiting Aeka's return. The tears were now completely free flowing out of the corners of her eyes, and Russ had a smile on his face that a crowbar couldn't remove. He kept the camera rolling on her face as she slowly approached the window and continued to admire her six hundred meter long spaceship. It looked as good as the day it was crafted.  
Russ watched her for a few more moments, and then handed the camera back to Nobuyuki, who continued to videotape the Jurian Princess. Russ approached her from the side and laid his hand on her shoulder, giving it a tender squeeze. "Merry Christmas, Aeka. Ho, ho, ho," he chuckled.  
She turned toward him and started crying. Grabbing him viciously in a hug, she buried her face in Russ's chest and continued to weep with joy. Wrapping his powerful arms around her, he held her close, waiting for her to stop crying, which only took a few moments.  
"How did you do it?" she finally asked.  
"Just call me Santa," Russ responded, smiling. "I hope this is to your liking. You mentioned that you would've liked to have your ship way back when we first met. I remembered that and tried to find a way to make it happen, and I did. Nevertheless, what you see out there was nothing short of a miracle.  
Washu, Nobuyuki, Katsuhito, and everybody else continued to stare at the ship in awe and wonder, completely unable to figure out how he made it happen. Not even Washu could find a logical conclusion.  
"Okay, One down, several to go! Washu?" Russ asked, grabbing the scientist's attention.  
"What is it, Russ?"  
"You can do a compatibility test between two people right now, can't you?"  
She looked at him strangely. "Yes I can, but why?"  
Russ grinned. "Scan both Tenchi and Ryoko. You should find something quite incredible and unexpected this time."  
Tenchi, Ryoko, and Washu all looked at Russ like he was talking nonsense. However, Tenchi turned toward Ryoko in a little bit of confusion.  
"What does he mean, Ryoko?" he asked.  
Ryoko hung her head, deciding to just come right out and say it. "We're incompatible, Tenchi. We're not capable of having children."  
Tenchi looked at her in complete surprise. "But I thought you were taking contraceptives or something to keep from becoming pregnant. You mean we can't have children at all?"  
Shaking her head, she sat in silence.  
Tenchi gently curled his arm around her. "It doesn't matter Ryoko. It doesn't matter to me one little bit," he said, pulling her a little closer.  
"That's my son!" Nobuyuki said, patting Tenchi on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Tenchi!"  
"Dad, cut that out. It's embarrassing."  
Washu was busy scanning them during their little conversation, but when she finished, her eyebrow went up in skepticism. "That can't be right… hold still, you two. I'm going to scan you again," she said, trashing her current findings and resetting the scanner, making some minor adjustments.  
A few moments later she finished, and this time, she scratched her head, trashed her findings and reset her computer once again. After the third scan, she looked at the both of them in surprise. "I don't understand why, but I have a new compatibility rating. My computer is showing ninety nine point four percent. I can't figure out why. It doesn't make any sense."  
Coming up from behind her, Russ laid his hand on her shoulder. "Your computer is correct," he said quietly. "Merry Christmas, Ryoko and Tenchi. You two are fully capable of having a healthy, happy, beautiful baby boy or girl. Congratulations."  
All three of them stared at him in much the same way they had when he opened the blinds to the lake and when Tenchi proposed.  
"What did you do to them?" Washu exclaimed, banishing her computer back to subspace.  
"Like I told Aeka, call me Santa," he said, grinning. "I performed another miracle last night. I hope this is what you two would've wanted," he said, looking at the young couple on the couch. Everybody else in the room sat in dead silence, completely transfixed on the saiyan. Almost the entire group had the same awestruck expression, and Russ could sense it. He blushed slightly and smiled.  
Ryoko got up from the couch, walked over to Russ, and threw her arms around him in a hug. "I don't know what you did, but thank you. You have no idea what this means to me."  
"I have a pretty good idea, but you're welcome," Russ responded, returning her hug.  
Tenchi got up from the couch as well, made his way over to Russ, and extended his hand. Releasing Ryoko, Russ grasped Tenchi's arm, pulled him over, and gave him a manly bear hug.   
"Merry Christmas, Tenchi," Russ said.  
"Thank you, Russ."  
Releasing each other a few moments later, Russ returned to the center of the room. "Okay, next up, Kiyone and Mihoshi. If I'm not mistaken, you should have something waiting for you in your spaceship. If not, I have some bones to break," he chuckled.  
"What is it, Russ?" Kiyone asked, curious as to what he could've gotten the two of them.  
"Well, I contacted the Galaxy Police headquarters and had a long discussion with your commander. After a little debating, he agreed to do a favor for the two of you, since I described some… problems that you've had. Your financial troubles are over. From this day forward, the Galaxy Police will be providing you with funding so you can remain at your apartment and not have to work any odd jobs around the place. They'll pay for your rent, food, clothing, and whatever other necessity you need."  
Kiyone's jaw dropped and Mihoshi's smile was as bright as the sun. "How did you convince him of that?"  
"If I told you that, it would ruin the thrill of the surprise now, wouldn't it?" Russ asked. "You're welcome, you two. I hope this is satisfactory. I'm sorry it isn't as huge as Aeka's spaceship or Ryoko and Tenchi's compatibility, but it is the best I could come up with."  
Kiyone shook her head. "It's perfect. Thank you, Russ. We don't deserve it, but thank you."  
Russ smiled and waved his hand. "Forget about it. I do nice things for my friends. Relax on your days off and don't worry about money anymore. You have no idea how much it drove me nuts yesterday to not spoil the surprise when Mihoshi started talking about your money problems again."  
Kiyone glared at her partner, but then smiled and nodded her head.  
"Okay, next up, Washu!" he said, turning toward the scientist, who was now wearing her binary watch. "Are you ready for this?"  
"Nothing surprises me anymore, Russ. What did you do?"  
Russ scowled for a moment, then smiled again. "I think this will be a very pleasant surprise. If you go into your lab, you'll see what I mean. There is someone waiting to see you in there."  
Cocking her eyebrow curiously, she turned and made her way back to her lab with Russ smiling after her. She disappeared behind the door a few moments later.  
"What did you do for her?" Aeka asked, curious.  
Turning toward her, Russ grinned. "She'd have my head if she knew what I did to get the information I needed to make this happen. We'll probably see her… and her son… later on today."  
"WHAT?!" Aeka yelled, in much the same way that everybody else had expressed their disbelief. "What did you do?"  
"As everybody knows, I'm partially telepathic. I can read minds if I touch a person or focus on one from a short distance away. It's really difficult to do it without being noticed, but I managed to do it with her. I learned her son's name from several memories that she had of him. You have no idea how hard it was to track down that guy," he said, scratching his head.  
"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable," Aeka said, sinking into the lazy boy reclining chair that was nearby.  
"I'm sure you guys were wondering where I was when I disappeared for days on end. But I'm not done yet," Russ said, looking at the little blue haired princess. "Your turn. You and I are going on a little trip to visit someone. Get your coat. We'll leave in a few minutes."  
Sasami looked a little nervous, but she stood up. "Where are we going?"  
"You'll see when we get there. I just hope the person I'm looking for is still there as well," Russ said. "Everybody, we'll be back in a couple hours. It'll take us about a half hour to get there, and I decided on letting her stay there for an hour or two. When I come back, I'll reveal the final gift I have planned. This one is for everybody, and I'm sure it'll be nothing short of incredible."  
"Sounds good, Russ. With some of the stuff you've already done, I'm greatly looking forward to what you have up your sleeve," Nobuyuki said, standing up. "Have a safe trip and we'll be here when you get back."  
"Good. Lord Katsuhito? I expect you to be here, as this pertains to you as well," Russ said, looking dead serious at the priest.  
"I will be here when you return."  
Russ smiled, fished out a remote control, and pushed the button. A black hole opened up near the lake, and his Tie Defender was ejected from subspace. It landed gently on the snow, creating three depressions from the landing gear.  
"Come on, Sasami. Let's go," he said, making his way to the door, followed by the little princess. Ryo-Ohki bounded along with Sasami and leapt onto her shoulder, wanting to go too.  
She was wearing the new coat and mittens that Russ had gotten for her, and she looked adorable in it. They quickly made their way across the snow to the fighter, and Russ opened the hatch. Giving Sasami a boost, he put her in the back seat and Russ climbed into the front one. Punching several buttons, the hatched closed and sealed, and the ion engines came to life, creating their familiar roar. The fighter lifted off of the ground as Russ waved to everybody who had gathered at the window. Hitting the throttle, he began to move the fighter toward space, keeping it steady as it rocketed through the atmosphere. The lightness of the blue atmosphere quickly faded to the black of space as the Tie Defender left Earth's gravity.  
"Okay, entering hyperspace in five… four… three… two… one…" Russ said, pushing the hyperspace lever completely forward. The stars that were visible in the cockpit suddenly became very long starlines as the space around the fighter became a mass of color, swirling around the outside.  
Sasami watched the transition from normal space to hyperspace in wonder. "It's so beautiful," she said, watching Russ hit a few more keys on the console. A counter came up on his screen that read twenty-five minutes, and slowly began counting backwards.  
"Well, we've got twenty five minutes to burn," Russ said, sitting back in his leather seat, listening to the low rumble of the hyperdrive. "Would you like to listen to some music or something else?"  
Sasami looked down at Russ and smiled. "Music will be fine."  
"Okay. I had loaded my entire music collection into the database here on the fighter. Fortunately, it has an enormous amount of space, so I've got room for whatever else needs to go in here. But why would you care about that," Russ teased. Punching a few keys, he called up a play list of anime songs that he enjoyed, starting with Tokimeki no Doukasen from Fushigi Yugi. Hitting the play button, it began, and Russ cranked up the volume so he could feel it in his seat. Sasami smiled and relaxed, patiently waiting for the flight to be over with.  
  
"Hello?" Washu said, looking around her lab for the mystery visitor that Russ said she was supposed to have. "Anybody here?"  
Nobody answered her, but she did hear a very faint clicking of keys on a computer keyboard. Wondering where it was coming from, she stealthily made her way around her massive computers, test tubes, and other sensitive electronic equipment until she found the source of the typing noise.  
A young man, appearing to only be in his mid twenties, was seated at her phantom laptop, playing on her computer system. Nearly freaking out, Washu stopped herself from shouting at the guy for messing with her equipment. But there was something strangely odd about him too. He had blonde hair, but it was fairly dark in color, and his skin tone was tanned as well. Glasses were positioned on his nose, and they reflected the computer screen in the lenses. Still, even though she had never seen this man before, a peculiar feeling kept nagging her at the back of her mind.  
Finally gathering up the nerve to approach the boy, Washu stepped out from behind some of her computers and slowly walked over to him, allowing her feet to make just enough noise to be noticeable. Seconds later, the typing ceased and the man swiveled around in his chair, a look of happiness on his face.  
Washu raised her eyebrow in suspicion, and then looked into his green eyes. "Who are you, and what are you doing on my computer?"  
The young man just smiled, then gestured with his index finger for Washu to come over. Slowly making her way over to him, she stopped when she stood next to him, turning her attention to the computer screen, which had a very, very old photograph on it. It was of a beautiful baby boy, only about six months old, with blonde hair, green eyes, and dressed in a white, one-piece baby suit with a pink undershirt. The baby was smiling, almost looking like it was giggling in happiness. The baby had one tooth in his bottom jaw, and it looked absolutely adorable.  
Washu stared at the photograph and then turned toward the young man with a vengeance. "What the hell are you doing here!? Why are you going through my personal files?" Washu snapped, clenching her fists at her sides. "This stuff is none of your business! Get away from my computer, now!"  
Slowly backing away from the laptop, he continued to give a soft, warm smile, but he did as he was told, putting up his hands submissively.  
"I ought to turn you into the police for trespassing. I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but you better leave," she demanded, banishing her computer back into subspace, where it belonged.  
Sighing to himself, the young man grinned. "It has only been a couple of days since you last looked at that file," he finally said, his voice light, warm, and happy.  
Washu glared at him. "And what business of that is yours? How dare you go through my personal stuff, pulling up things that you have absolutely no right to see! Get out of my lab, now!"  
"Short tempered as always," he chuckled. "Father always told me about how my mother would fly off the handle at the strangest times."  
Narrowing her eyes at the strange man, she took a step closer to him. "I told you to leave. If you do not leave, I'll force you out in the most painful way possible. Now get out of here," she threatened, staring him directly into his eyes.  
"Attack first, ask questions later. That was another thing my dad used to tell me about my mom, even though she usually told him to do just the opposite," he chuckled. "Don't you want to know who I am first?"  
"Frankly, I don't care who you say you are. I come down here to meet someone, and that someone I'm supposed to meet was going through my personal files! Do you have any idea how violating that feels?!" she shouted.  
Becoming thoughtful for a moment, he shook his head. "I'm sorry I offended you, but I wanted to see that picture again for myself. It's been so long."  
Stopping dead in her tracks, her face froze into a strange, but blank expression. "What do you mean, again? That is the only picture that exists of him."  
The young man shook his head as he reached behind him, felt under his robes, pulled out a small wallet, and opened it to a spot where he kept his photographs. Thumbing through five different ones, he stopped at the identical picture that was on Washu's screen a moment ago. Looking back at Washu, he smiled.  
"This is me, about twenty thousand years ago. Look familiar, Professor Washu?"  
For the second time, she became stunned, not knowing what to say or do. Searching for the right words to say, she remained silent, not finding anything that would overcome the shock she was feeling. However, a moment later, her skepticism returned.  
"You could've printed that photo and stuffed it in your pocket. That means nothing," Washu growled. "I still don't know who you are or why you're here. I'm sorry, but I'm going to ask you to leave again."  
Now it was the young man who had a look of stunned hurt on his face. He hung his head, trying to find something that would change the little scientists mind. "And you still don't want to know who I am? Most people would've."  
"It doesn't matter. The only thing I want to know is why you were going through my files?" Washu said, folding her arms over her chest, staring directly into his eyes.  
Looking toward where the computer used to be, he again sighed. "I wanted to see if my picture was still in your database. That's all. I wanted to see if you still thought about me, or had a picture of me still, even after all of this time."  
"That isn't you!" Washu shouted. "My son has been missing for a damned twenty thousand years! He's gone and I'll never see him again! I searched for thousands of years, going to the galaxy police, going to data archives all over the universe, trying to find any damn reference to my son and I've always, always come up blank! How dare you say that is you!" she screamed, now approaching the breaking point. "Those bastards took him away from me! My son is gone! That was from a life long past, and I've gotten over it!"  
Quietly listening to her outburst, he sat back slightly in the chair. "Liar."  
Washu's eyes bulged slightly, but she became deathly quiet.  
"If it didn't matter, why have you accessed that photograph so frequently? You still miss him and still want to see your son again, no matter what. A mother NEVER, EVER forgets her family, or a child. Ever. Saying that she did is nothing but an untruthful, selfish, lie. You're lying to not only me, but to yourself as well, and you know it," he said, not raising his voice, but giving her a poker face.  
Narrowing her eyes to catlike slits, she opened her right hand and let it go straight across his face, her hand leaving a perfect, red imprint of itself on his cheek. "Get out," she whispered.  
"Are you running away from your problem again?" he asked, not budging a millimeter.  
Tears squeezed themselves out from under Washu's eyelids. "I SAID, GET OUT!" she screamed, balling up her fist and driving it straight at his face.  
Bringing his hand up, he caught her fist in his palm and held it there. Standing up out of his chair, and then kneeling down to Washu's height, he looked directly into her face. "You know, when this guy named Russ approached me, I didn't know what to think either. My mother had been gone for over twenty thousand years, and I was always told that I was taken away from her, because our family was so rich and prestigious, and because our mother wasn't, we were taken away from her. I only had one photo of my mom and all the stories that my father had told me about her. He always said that she was the most brilliant mind in the galaxy and that she had no equal in the universe. If she didn't have a correct answer for something, there was no answer, or she'd invent a correct one. She was a little cocky and a bit arrogant, but father always found those to be charming qualities about her. He loved her like no other and he missed her greatly when we left. My father always told me that he wanted to go back to her, but he wasn't allowed to. If he did, my mom, him, and me would've been killed, or so the men said. We were forbidden to see her ever again. All the records of our existence were erased and we were given new identities. We started our lives over on a new planet, with a new identity, and a new home. Provided for and always cared for, it was easy for me to forget about my mother, since I was so young when I was taken away. My father, on the other hand, grew gravely ill from lovesickness. He missed her so much that his heart shattered into a million pieces, and couldn't be put back together again. He did have a new wife, but she wasn't able to fulfill the void that was in his heart, even though she genuinely tried. She loved him and me like we were her own, but it wasn't enough. About a thousand years after we left, my father died. My step mom was very heartbroken, but she continued to live her life to take care of me. God bless her heart," he said, still holding onto Washu's hand, looking straight into her eyes. "A few months ago, this super huge guy named Russ came to see me in my office one day. I've never seen him before then, but he was very nice, kind, and considerate. He asked me if he could ask me some personal questions about my past, which I agreed to, as long as they weren't offensive. The first question out of his mouth was, 'Who was your mother?' Now I asked myself, 'What kind of question is that?' but I answered him anyway. I said it was Nikki, who was my stepmother. He then asked if she was my stepmother, to which I said yes. After that, he asked me who my biological mother was, but that I didn't really have an answer for. He then questioned me if I had ever heard of a scientific genius named Washu Hakubi. Now that question stunned me, because I remember hearing the last name of Hakubi many times from my father, and even from my stepmother. The name Washu had come up a couple of times between my step mom and my father, but my mom always said to forget about her. I had no idea what she was talking about and I never had an opportunity to really ask her," he explained. Looking into Washu's eyes more gently, he continued. "I don't know how Russ found me, but there was something… honest about him that made me trust him and what he was saying. He said he spent about a month searching for me, and he was ecstatic that he had finally found me. I couldn't figure out why, because like I said before, I never met the guy. I was at work at the time, doing secretary work on a planet about halfway between here and Jurai, but he said he wasn't looking to meet me personally, but he was looking for me for someone else. That someone else was named Washu."  
Washu started trembling, but she didn't stop the young man. He noticed it and felt that she was trembling, so he let her sit down on her chair. She remained silent, the tears still lightly flowing out of the corners of her eyes and letting them dribble down to her chin. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes off with the sleeve of her uniform and took in a deep breath, trying to calm down.  
"Needless to say," he continued. "It was quite a surprise when Russ explained everything to me. But even he wasn't a hundred percent sure, so he asked me if he could read my mind and search for a particular memory that I might have. He said that it was harmless, and at the time, I thought he was bluffing or just trying to pull my leg. But it wouldn't have mattered anyway, since I really have nothing to hide. I allowed him to search my mind, which did have a very strange sensation to it. I could feel him going deeper and deeper into my memories of my very young childhood, until he found a particular image that he pulled up, allowing both of us to see the memory. It was that same picture I had on the screen here a moment ago, on your computer. Russ pulled away from me in utter surprise and looked at me with the biggest smile I had ever seen. 'Bingo,' he said. 'After interviewing over a dozen people, I finally found what I was looking for. Do you know who that red haired girl is?' he asked me, pulling up a different memory. I had said no, since the memory was so old and I had never learned the name to that person. He then told me, 'That is a person named Washu, a once-professor or student over at the science academy.' Now that I found interesting, because my father said he met my mother there. But I never knew if it was my stepmother or my real mother. I never bothered to ask. I still had the photo of that girl in my wallet, and had no idea why I kept it there, especially when I really didn't know her, but I felt compelled to keep it there. She was familiar, somehow. Anyway, he then asked me what my name was, which I responded with the name I was given and was called, ever since I can remember. My given name is Akaki Yubiki, and that is what I've gone by for the past twenty thousand years. But somehow, the name Hakubi was familiar still. I couldn't place it, but Russ helped me out with it. He continued to probe my memory, refreshing events that even I thought I had forgotten. Finally, after nearly an hour of that mind-meld or whatever it was he was doing, he found another memory where the name, Washu Hakubi, was actually said. I was held in my mother's arms, which happened to be the red-haired girl, and my father was standing next to her, both of them looking incredibly happy and contented. That was when I knew that Russ was not bluffing."  
Looking up at him in silence, and then raising a quivering hand, she carefully touched the side of his face that still had the hand mark on it, caressing it gently. She sniffled again, and gestured for him to continue.  
"He then dropped a bombshell on me. 'I know who your mother is, and I know where she is staying,' he said. 'I would like to take you there, soon, to see her again. Would you go if I took you there?' Of course, I was skeptical about it all. Here was a man who had just shown up out of the blue and claimed to have found my mother. But I just couldn't shake that feeling that kept nagging me at the back of my mind, which was of him being completely honest. I took him up on that offer, and he told me that he would be back in a couple months to pick me up. He said that I was going to be a 'Christmas Present' for Washu, my mother. I had no idea what he meant by a Christmas present, but I went along with it anyway. I guess I'm just a little too trusting, but it has never really backfired on me in all my years of being this way. He came and got me about two hours ago, and I've been waiting here for you since then. He looked like a zombie and said he was going to go back to bed once he delivered me to your lab. Anyway, I really wasn't sure how I'd be able to introduce myself to you, but I thought that picture on your computer would be perfect. The only two people in this universe that could've known about it should've been you and I. I don't know how Russ figured it out, but I was completely stunned when I found it in your database. I was just about to close down your computer when you came up behind me."  
Still sitting in silence, she pondered over his entire story, almost unable to think because of her heightened stress. Finally looking up into his eyes, a little doubt still remaining, she swiveled over to where her phantom computer had re-appeared and called up the picture once again. Staring at it through her tear filled eyes, she looked back at Akaki, and then at the picture, still trying to decide what to do. She could see her face reflected in the computer screen and also in Akaki's glasses, and she had a gut feeling that he was telling the truth. But she had to be absolutely certain.  
"May I take a physical examination of you?" she asked weakly, finally finding her voice.  
Akaki smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, if it'll make you feel better."  
Keying a few commands onto her computer, the scanning globe appeared behind Akaki, took off most of his clothes and hoisted him into the air, restraining his movements, causing him to have a look of shock and bewilderment on his face.  
"What the heck is this thing?" he yelped, as the scanning headband set down on his head.  
"Do not worry. This is just my scanning device. I use it on all my test subjects," she said, again wiping the drying tears from her face. "It will only take a few minutes."  
"Uhhh, okay. But what about those needles that are hovering around my arms?" he asked, a large sweatdrop forming on the side of his head.  
Washu tried to smile. "They don't poke you. Just relax. I'll be done in a minute," she said, typing various commands on her console, indicating the scans she wanted to perform and which ones she wanted to bypass. She took his bodily dimensions down to the angstrom, noting that he had a build similar to Tenchi's, but slightly less muscular. Also taking a DNA scan, a retina scan, and various other scans that would confirm an identity even if it were altered, she patiently waited for the computer to finish. A few moments later, it did, and she released Akaki from his restraints, dumping him unceremoniously onto the cold floor.  
"Oww," he mumbled, picking himself up and putting on his clothes that were sitting on a nearby cushion. Washu cackled to herself, as she had intentionally programmed the globe to do that on release.  
The results had finally come up on her computer, and still maintaining a shred of skepticism, it all vanished when she looked at it. Her happy mood seemed to melt away, replaced by the same sadness that she felt when he was taken away so many years ago, or at least, that's the way it looked to Akaki.  
Putting his hand on her shoulder, he peered at the scan results. "Are you okay?"  
She slowly turned to look at him, her eyes filled with tears once again, as she slowly reached up with her hands, carefully feeling his face. She gently removed his glasses, setting them on a nearby table, allowing her hands to feel every curve of his visage. The slight roughness of his cheeks told her that he hadn't shaved for a day or two, but it didn't matter. Pulling him down to her height, she held his face directly in front of hers, and she looked directly into his eyes, making all of her doubts go up in oblivion, never to be seen again.  
Washu started to breathe heavily, and then started audibly crying. Akaki gently reached up to her hands, removing them from his face and placing them in her lap, he smiled. "I'm home, mother."  
In a flash, she threw her arms around him, crying heavily into his shoulder, holding him tightly. Akaki carefully wrapped his arms around his mother, whom he hadn't held in over twenty thousand years, allowing his own tears to squeeze out of his eyes. It didn't matter to him, as the happiness he felt couldn't have been taken away even if the universe around him crumbled.  
"My son…" Washu cried, her body shaking with sobs as she clenched onto him even tighter. "My son has returned to me!"  
  
A quiet buzzer went off inside the fighter's cockpit, indicating that it was approaching their destination. Russ pulled the hyperdrive lever back, and the colors of hyperspace quickly faded back into stars as they approached an asteroid field.  
"Where are we?" Sasami asked, looking around.  
"This place is called Sargasso. Believe it or not, you've been here before. Does the name sound familiar?"  
Sasami looked around and thought for a few moments. "No. What is Sargasso?"  
Russ chuckled. "Like I said, you've been here before. You'll see," he said, flying into the field of rocks at a slow speed. Keeping an eye on his scanners, he picked up several derelict vessels that had no engine power or any kind of output. "If I remember correctly, Kiyone called this the spaceship graveyard."  
Looking worried, the little princess continued to look around, wondering where they were and why they were here. "That sounds scary."  
Chuckling quietly, Russ continued to fly at a slow pace, avoiding the moving boulders with skill. The fighter's shields were up, but there would be no way it could survive a direct run-in with one of the massive meteors.  
Russ's face became a look of concern after a few minutes of flying around. "Hello out there," he said to himself, drawing a giggle from Sasami.  
"What are you looking for?" she asked, leaning forward in the seat.  
"A ship that I saw in your mind," Russ responded. He then blushed. "I looked into your memory to find something that could be an awesome Christmas gift to give you. The best way I figured to find that out would be to look into your memories. I chose this, figuring it would've been the best choice."  
"Okay, when did you do it," she asked, annoyed. "You should know better than to invade a persons mind without their permission."  
Russ turned a few shades redder. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of anything that would've been a better Christmas gift than this. It made it so much easier to figure out after looking into your memories. Don't worry, I was very specific in what I was looking for and didn't see anything that you'd be embarrassed about."  
Continuing to look at him, she folded her arms over her chest. "I don't believe you."  
"Ugh!" Russ exclaimed, hanging his head. "I'm sorry, Sasami. I won't do it again, okay?"  
"Okay. As long as you promise."  
"I do. Okay?"  
Smiling once more, she nodded her head. "Okay. Now why are we here?"  
Continuing to scan his sensors within a one hundred kilometer radius, he still couldn't find what he was looking for. "I don't get it. Well, let's check out a few of these abandoned vessels and see if any of them match what I'm looking for."  
Picking up the throttle a little, he sped up and flew over to the first vessel, which was not much larger than an assault transport from Tom's star destroyer. Another vessel was near that, looking like a cross of Jurian technology with something from the galaxy police.  
"I guess this ship must've been an experiment that failed," Russ said, pointing to it.  
"It looks weird," Sasami said. "Hey, what's that over there?" she asked, pointing to another dead ship off to their right.  
Turning the fighter to get a better view, it was a large carrier vessel, colored steel gray. It looked like one of the shuttles that the United States used back in the nineteen nineties, but much larger. "Looks like an Earth shuttle," Russ said, flying near it slowly, getting a good look at it. "Well, lets see what else is out here. There's a huge, abandoned vessel over here," Russ said, flying toward a massive asteroid. Upon reaching it, he pitched his fighter upward, flying over it skillfully. On the other side, an absolutely colossal, fifteen hundred meter long civilian cruiser ship became visible. Looking almost like a boat or ship that the Earthlings use to sail the open seas, it was still a sight to behold. Colored white with red and blue trim on the bridge and engines, it was the ship Russ was looking for.  
"Found it!" he said excitedly, carefully flying his Tie Defender over to the ship.  
Sasami gasped in surprise. "I recognize that ship!" she said, leaning as far forward as the seat restraints would allow her to. "Mirei was on that thing!"  
"You got it," Russ said, smiling. "I hope she's still there."  
"This was the present you were giving me?" Sasami asked, looking down on the saiyan who was busy trying to find a dock to land his fighter in.  
"Yes. Merry Christmas, Sasami. I hope this is a nice surprise for you," Russ said, turning around and winking his eye at her.  
"It's perfect!" she said, clasping her hands together and smiling widely.  
Finding a suitable hanger, Russ slowly guided his fighter into the waiting bay, landed, and shut down the engines, but left the power supply and life support systems engaged. Scanning the outside of his fighter, it indicated that there was an atmosphere.  
"That's really strange. For some reason, there is air outside. But there is no power onboard this ship, no life support, no shields. Nothing, but there is air. It's a perfectly breathable atmosphere. I don't get it."  
"Well, let's go out and see if we…" she began to say, but stopped in mid-sentence.  
Russ was also looking in the same direction she was, his eyes almost bulging out of his eye sockets. A young girl, Sasami's age, stood not ten feet away from his current position. She was semi-transparent, like before, and she had on a very pretty pink dress. But her face, hair, and hands, looked like something out of an aged photograph. She was tinted a sequoia brown color, and she didn't seem to have any other color about her besides her dress.  
"Do you see what I see?" Russ asked, looking directly at Mirei. Strangely enough, he didn't see her as the white ghost that the others had seen when they had caught sight of her, but instead, he saw what Sasami did.   
Ryo-Ohki, who was asleep on Sasami's lap, woke up and stretched, looked at both Sasami and Russ's expressions, and then she too, looked directly at the spirit. She meowed a few times, leapt off of Sasami's lap, phased through the outer hull of the fighter and bounded up to Mirei, who smiled in response. She casually waved her arm through the air, illuminating the docking bay, causing all of the junk and debris to disappear.  
"Uh… I've never seen a ghost on this plane of existence before," Russ whispered to the princess. "I'll admit, this is a first for me."  
"Well, come on! Let's go out there and see her!" Sasami urged, undoing the restraints.  
"Okay," he said, not sounding convinced at all, hitting the hatch release.  
Air hissed out of the cockpit as the pressure on the inside and outside equalized, and the door swung open. Reaching back to Sasami, he helped her out of her seat and gently set her down on the steel floor of the hanger bay. Russ followed her out a moment later and sealed the hatch, then moved next to Sasami.  
Mirei smiled and made her way over to them. "Hi, Sasami. I was wondering if I'd ever see you again," she said, in a very kind, sweet voice. She stepped over to Sasami and hugged her.  
"Mirei! I missed you so much since I last saw you. I always wondered if I could ever come back out here to see you again. I'm so happy that you're still here!" she exclaimed.  
Russ stood by quietly, watching the two girls converse with each other.  
Taking notice of the saiyan, Mirei smiled at him. "Who are you?" she asked.  
Grinning and then kneeling down to her level, he introduced himself. "My name is Russ. I'm a friend of Sasami here," he said, extending his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you."  
Carefully reaching out to him, Mirei took his hand in hers and gently shook it. Surprisingly, Russ could feel the warmth emanating from her, and she felt almost alive. However, he couldn't sense any energy from her at all. No ki and no life. It was almost like he was looking at a hologram.  
"So you're Mirei," Russ said, releasing her hand. "I learned about you from Sasami. It's nice to meet you."  
Bowing politely, she nodded her head. "It's nice to meet you too, Russ. How did you know where to find us?"  
"I only knew of this location, but finding your ship was a little more tricky. I'm glad it is so big, since that made it easier to find."  
"Yeah, and Russ looked into my memory to learn about you too," Sasami said, giving an evil glare at Russ, who looked away and twiddled his thumbs. "Yeah, you!" she said, emphasizing her disapproval.  
"I said I was sorry. Sheesh. Would you have preferred that I didn't learn about Mirei?" Russ returned, folding his arms over his chest and looking down on her.  
Sighing quietly to herself, she smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. I'm just teasing."  
"You guys must be hungry," Mirei said, looking at the two of them. "I can hear Russ's stomach growling away."  
"OH NO!" Sasami said, smacking her forehead with her hand. "I completely forgot about making breakfast for everybody! What am I going to do?" she said, looking over at Russ.  
Russ smiled. "Don't worry about them. Nobuyuki can cook and Katsuhito can as well. No need for worries," he chuckled."Just enjoy yourself here."  
Looking back at Mirei with her face slightly red, she looked down at the floor shyly. "Yeah, we're pretty hungry. Starving, really. I never really noticed how hungry I am until you brought it up," she giggled.  
"Well, come on. We'll go to my room and I'll serve us up a big feast," she said, turning toward the hanger door, which was open about two feet. Mirei and Sasami fit through just fine, but Russ had to squeeze through. He didn't want to disturb anything.  
In the hallway it was dark, but again, Mirei waved her hand and like magic, the hallway illuminated in brilliant, warm light. Russ still couldn't sense any power or any kind of forces acting around him, and it made him uneasy. He had never encountered an ethereal life form before. Maybe she wasn't really dead and was instead a different kind of life altogether.  
"Is something bothering you, Russ?" Mirei asked, looking at him with concern.  
"Well, I was thinking about you, actually," he said, smiling and scratching the back of his head.  
Looking down at the floor slightly, she put her hand out in front of her. "It's this, isn't it?"  
"No. Your appearance doesn't bother me at all. I can do some really strange things too," he said, continuing to walk behind her and Sasami.  
"Is it the fact that I'm a ghost?"  
"A little. I can't sense any energy at all coming from you, yet, you're right here in front of me. Don't let it bother you at all. It's just my urge to try to explain everything. In a way, I'm similar to Washu when it comes to things like this," he responded. "But I am curious. Why are you remaining on this ship? That's my main concern."  
Stopping in her tracks, she turned completely around to face Russ, her face downcast. "I don't know. I've always been here, alone. The first time I had a friend is when Sasami came along about two years ago. And I've been here ever since."  
"Oh Mirei," Sasami began. "I'm sorry. It must be very lonely here."  
Mirei turned back to the princess. "I try to not let it bother me, as I find things to do from time to time. But yes, it is lonely here." She slowly began walking down the hallway to her room.  
"Maybe I can find a way to help you," Russ said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "But let's not worry about that for now. We came to visit you, and we're here. I decided to let Sasami and you play for the next couple hours, so please make the most of it. I still have one gigantic Christmas gift to give back home, and I think they're going to flip over it. You too, Sasami," Russ said with a wink.  
"Another Christmas surprise? You're just full of them this year, aren't you?" Sasami asked, grinning.  
Nodding enthusiastically, he grinned widely. "Like I said, I really outdid myself. I was saving the biggest surprise for last."  
"I can't wait," Sasami said, smiling.  
Her happy mood was contagious, and Mirei smiled too. "We're here," she said, pushing open her doors to a very large room. A fireplace was set against the wall to the right, complete with a fire burning in it. The flames jumped and danced on the wood, creating a nice, cozy feeling about the room. A large cabinet was set against the same wall, but closer to the door, made of a beautiful, brown wood. In front of the fireplace, a table and two chairs sat with a set of candles in the middle. A loveseat was situated on the carpet in the middle of the room. As Russ walked through the door, a large mirror was on the wall to his left, and an end table with a lamp was a little more to the left. Up on the mantle, several photographs were on display, and there were a couple of pictures on the walls themselves. The room was very bright, colorful, and cheery.  
Mirei walked over to the table and waved her arm, magically causing a feast fit for a king to appear.  
"Oh wow, that's handy," Russ chuckled, smiling at Mirei.  
"Help yourselves," she invited, moving over to the couch and sitting down.  
"Would you like me to move the couch closer to the table? It feels weird not having you here with us," Russ said, standing back up from the table.  
"It's okay," she said, waving her arm once again, causing a third chair to appear.  
"Excellent," Russ said, pulling back the chair. "Please be seated, madam."  
Sasami started laughing at Russ, poking fun at his French accent. Mirei accepted his offer graciously, sitting down as Russ slid the chair under her, and then took his own seat. He immediately started shoveling the food into his mouth, hardly taking any time to chew it.  
"This stuff is really good," he said, picking up a chicken thigh and eating all the meat on it in less than a second.  
Mirei watched him eat in stunned silence, her jaw hanging slightly open. Sasami ate at her own pace, seemingly ignoring what Russ was doing. Carefully spooning her fruit salad into her bowl, she ate each piece delicately, just like a princess should behave.  
"Sasami? Why are you eating so slowly? You don't have to be so proper in front of me," Russ said, continuing to eat like a barbarian.  
Looking at Russ, and then at Mirei, she started shoving food into her mouth a little faster, being a little more careless as she ate.  
"That's better," Russ teased, snickering. "Why don't you eat something, Mirei?"  
She looked at the table and smiled. "I don't eat. I don't have a need to eat and I never feel hungry. That's all."  
"Well, okay. Suit yourself, but this stuff is really good," Russ said, eyeing her as he continued to shovel more and more food into his gut. "Better get some while you can!"  
Giggling, and then laughing, she picked up a bowl and filled it with fruit salad, then began eating it casually.  
"That's the ticket!" Russ encouraged.  
"Yeah!" Sasami giggled. "Anyway, how long have you been on this ship, Mirei?"  
"I don't know. I think for quite a long time. I don't remember why I'm here, but I am," she replied, taking a cherry and eating it.  
"Maybe you could come back with us?" Sasami said, putting down her chopsticks and looking seriously at Mirei.  
Both her and Russ looked at Sasami in mild concern. It was Russ who answered her.  
"I don't think she can. From what I understand, ghosts cannot leave the place from where they passed away. However, I would like to know what happened on this ship. Maybe I can find something in the data logs."  
Mirei looked at him with a glimmer of hope. "Can you do that?"  
"If I can get power to the computer system, I can," he said, smiling at her. "My fighter has some power packs in it that I could probably use if I can't get the ship's power system going."  
"You know how to do that?" Sasami asked, looking at him with surprise.  
Russ smiled. "I like to think of myself as an engineer, or a person who figures out how to make things work. I'm pretty good at fixing stuff, so we'll see what I can do. I may not be able to do it, but I'll give it a try," he said, finishing off his food. "I'll tell you what. You two girls and Ryo-Ohki can play, and I'll see about making the ship work again. How's that?"  
Looking at him in hope, Mirei smiled at him. "Thank you, Russ. I'd love to know more about this ship and the people who used to be onboard."  
"Again, it may not be possible. I'm not guaranteeing anything. From what I can tell, this ship is very, very old. The computer may not even work anymore. But I won't know that until I try to fix it."  
"Just give it your best shot, Russ. If you need us, just call us. I can hear you anywhere in the ship," Mirei offered.  
"Great. Well, you two have fun. I have me a database to crack," he chuckled, standing up and walking toward the door. "I'll let you know if I make it work or not."  
"Okay!" both Sasami and Mirei said in unison. They looked at each other, and then laughed.  
Russ chuckled as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. Slowly making his way down the hallway, he began to wonder more and more about the little ghost girl whom he just shared a meal with.  
"If I can solve this mystery, she may be able to pass over to the other side, and then she can rest in peace," he said to himself. "Since it is Christmas, I'll do my best to make it happen and give her a Merry Christmas as well."  
Picking up the pace, he quickly made his way to the bridge and forced open the door, which was jammed shut. After a loud crash and a few heavy bangs, the door slid open, revealing a large mess on the floor. Computer consoles lined the entire outer wall of the bridge, some of them broken. A large bulkhead had fallen on one of the consoles, completely shattering it. The captain's chair was pretty much unscathed, save for a few small stains.  
Russ walked over to a command console, hoping it was the control helm. Taking a deep breath, he blew off all the dust and debris that was scattered on the computer, and sat down in the nearby chair, pulling the console toward him.  
"Now, let's see," he said to himself, as he hit a few keys in sequence. But as he figured, nothing happened. "Dead. Let's try this," he said aloud, pressing each key in sequence, hoping something would happen. However, even after he pushed the last key, the console and entire ship remained adrift and lifeless. Standing up, he moved to the next console, blew all the junk off of it, and proceeded to hit each key, again, trying to find a console that would maybe still work.  
After trying that with half the consoles on the bridge, Russ began to get irritated. "Splitform!" he yelled, as a double of him appeared. "Go screw with those consoles over there, and I'll do these," the original ordered. Both Russ's proceeded to press every single key on every console, hoping that they could get some indication that the ship still had a power source that could be enabled. But as they finished with each console, their hopes went with it. Finally getting to the last one, and after pressing every key on it, the two Russ's merged back into one.  
"Dammit," he growled. "Figures. I wonder where the computer core is," he muttered, looking around the bridge. "I wonder what happened here. There is enough debris around here to look like the ship came under attack, but there is really no exterior damage. It doesn't make sense. Plus this ship doesn't seem to have any weapons."  
Walking over to the captain's chair, he noticed a small keypad that was attached to the armrest. Sitting down and studying the pad for a moment, he pushed several of the buttons in random sequence. However, once again, nothing happened.  
"Dead. Okay, I guess I have to go find the computer core and hook it up to my fighter. I hope they're compatible," he mumbled, squeezing out of the doorway to the bridge, making his way down the corridor, looking for a room that would contain the system unit.  
Stepping over to a lift, he forced the door open and peered down the shaft, which was pitch black. Holding his hand out in front of him, a small ball of energy formed, illuminating the area in a soft, white light. Taking a step forward, he floated down the tube in hope of finding the engineering section. Several long bulkheads were lodged in the wall, as they had fallen down there when the ship encountered whatever it was that damaged it. Carefully avoiding them, he descended further, hearing many creaks, bangs, and squeals that erupted seemingly out of nowhere.  
"At least it is warm in here," he muttered, finally able to see the bottom. Floating over to the shaft doors, he carefully forced them open and stepped out into another corridor, which was again, dark as the blackest pitch. Intensifying the energy in his hand, he lit up the surrounding area, making visibility much better. Walking down the hallway, he found a large set of double doors. Jamming his free hand in between the doors, he forced one of them open and peered inside, using his energy to illuminate the area. Dirt, grime, and dust were everywhere on the floor, the consoles, and everything else that was in the room, but it didn't have anything that resembled an engine or a computer core. Withdrawing his hand and allowing the door to close itself again, he continued down the hall, checking each room for the core.  
  
"Isn't this unreal, Azaka?" Aeka asked, slowly walking through her ship, feeling a sense of nostalgia. "I never thought I'd see this ever again."  
"Yes, your highness. Since the tree was rooted to the wreck of the old ship, it wasn't supposed to ever function as an independent unit," the log responded.  
"I wonder if the ship still has its memory," Kamidake chimed in.  
Slowly walking through the fields to her bedroom, admiring the long blades of green grasses that carpeted the ground she walked on, she made her way to her room, crossing over the bridge that had the water of Jurai flowing under it. Walking up the steps to the inside, she gasped, as her room was identical as it was the day she left it. Everything was perfect, as she normally kept her room. The bed was made, her makeup desk was set up for her daily routine, and even her hairbrush was sitting on the small bench next to her mirror, where she had left it the very last time. Her photo of Yosho as a young, Jurian prince even remained, in mint condition, completely unscathed.  
"It feels so weird to be here again," the princess said, quietly. "Everything is just as I left it."  
"Indeed," Kamidake said, gliding up next to his master.  
Azaka slid up to her on her other side, conducting some minor scans. "Yes, your highness. Everything is in its proper place."  
Making her way over to her bed, she put her hand on the ultra soft, brown comforter, remembering its feel on her skin. Her pink pillow was nice and smooth, until Aeka placed her hand on it, ruffling it up slightly. She slowly made her way around her bedroom, taking extra time at the picture of Yosho to admire him once again, and then she placed it face down on her desk.  
"Why did you do that, your highness?" Azaka inquired.  
"That was of a time long past," she responded, taking a deep sigh. "I think I'll replace this picture with the one I've fallen in love with. I want him to be mine, and nothing is going to stop me. Nothing," said Aeka, turning toward her two guardians with the most determined look she could muster. "Nobody has ever given me a gift this perfect in my entire life. He remembered it for over six months, which I find incredible. I love him and I want him to love me. I will make that happen if it is the last thing I ever do!"  
"But what are you going to do?" Kamidake said, sliding over to his original guard post. "He seems like he has his mind made up. How are you going to change it?"  
Smiling, Aeka shook her head. "He's changed a bit. He's easier to talk to and he has become more open with everybody. I know he likes me because he smiles whenever I'm around him, unless I'm teasing him. When I work out in the garden, I can catch sight of him watching me. He has to be attracted to me. I mean, who wouldn't be?" she laughed, sounding like she did almost three years ago.  
If either guardian could've smiled, they would have.  
However, a few moments later, her happy mood seemed to melt away. "But every time I bring up the subject about us becoming a couple, he avoids it like a plague. He always runs away and then afterwards, doesn't speak to me for a while. Whenever he sees me coming, he'll vanish into thin air or take off at such a high rate of speed that I wouldn't have any hope of catching up to him, even though I've become stronger and faster during my training with him. He has no idea how much that hurts my feelings. I just can NOT figure out why he won't make something more than friendship with me or anyone else!"  
"If you need help tying him down, we can assist you, Princess," Azaka volunteered.  
"Yes. We should be able to restrain him long enough for you to talk to him," Kamidake agreed.  
Aeka shook her head. "No. For one, he would definitely not like that, and two, he's so strong that he could easily break out of your forcefield without even trying. Even if I helped, we couldn't hold him captive. He's just far too strong and powerful for that."  
Turning around, she walked to the stairway that left her room and began walking down it, with her new destination being the bridge.  
"I'm sorry, Princess. If we knew what to do, we'd do it. Changing a person's mind is something that we cannot do, unfortunately. We only have limited advice to give. Perhaps you should talk to Empress Misaki and see what advice she has to lend," Kamidake suggested, floating in the air and slowly following Aeka.  
The princess visibly shuddered. "No, that's quite alright. Knowing my mother, she'd probably come here and try to force it out of him, and that is something that I definitely don't need. Not only that, it's embarrassing to be around her at times. I could've died when she made me call her… mommy… while we were at the Startica Festival," she said, recalling the event in detail, turning red all over again.  
"But a parent usually has the best advice to give, too. You don't have to have her come here. You can call her when we get to the bridge, if that is your intended destination," Azaka said, keeping pace.  
"I suppose I could. It is Christmas Day. She always said that I don't keep in touch frequently enough," Aeka said, looking worried. "I just hope she doesn't take an initiative and come here."  
Walking the rest of the way in silence, she finally reached the bridge of her ship. It too, looked completely untouched, like nobody had even set foot in it before. Upon her approach to the Royal Tree, many beams of colored light came from the leaves and surrounded her in color, recognizing the princess immediately.  
"The ship maintains all of its memories too. Even the ones it obtained from sitting here in the lake after the crash. Incredible," Aeka said, looking around in wonder.  
Azaka and Kamidake returned to their posts, connecting to the ship's computer in the process. Again, several beams of colored light danced around the area, then faded away.  
"Computer core, intact. Memory core, intact," Azaka recited, scanning the ship systems.  
"Drives, online. All other systems, functional," Kamidake finished.  
Aeka stood in the center of the bridge area, looking around her in awe. Her spaceship tree was in full bloom and looked as healthy as ever. The water flowed through the channels that were grooved in the ship, giving life to the plethora of plants that littered the surrounding area, gurgling as it fell over the edge and dropped to another reservoir below.  
Taking in a deep breath, she felt so at home onboard her ship. She had spent a great many months onboard, either in stasis or on short trips to local star systems. But it was her home away from home. She was given the ship at birth, and when she was old enough to learn and understand about her ship tree, she was allowed to name it. Ryu-Oh, a fictional name that she had made up a long time before she even knew about the tree, was the name she gave it. It gave it a sense of power and peace, and even her family found it suitable.  
When she was last on Jurai during the Startica Festival, her father yelled at her about the destruction of her ship, reopening old wounds. She couldn't wait to rub it in his face that her ship was back again, and the barbarian that he couldn't stand did it. Smiling an evil, sadistic grin, she pictured the look on the King's face when she'd arrive at Jurai in her original spaceship, or even just calling him from it.  
"Azaka? Open a communications channel to Jurai. I want to speak to my mother and father," Aeka ordered, standing tall. However, she realized a few moments too late that she wasn't wearing her robes or regal clothing.  
"We're receiving a response, your highness. Putting it on main viewer," Kamidake relayed, initiating the main viewscreen.  
"AEKA!" Misaki yelled, almost looking like she was going to fall through the viewscreen, overwhelmed with joy. "I'm so happy you called!"  
"Hi mom. How are you doing?" Aeka responded, smiling at the screen.  
"We're doing great!" she said, being really enthusiastic. However, she looked off to the side and became serious. "Actually, it's been boring as hell around here. There hasn't been much of anything going on that has required our attention," she said quietly, trying to be confidential. "But your call has changed all of that!" A moment later, she looked at Aeka and her surrounding area. "Aeka? Where are you?"  
Aeka smiled warmly. "I'm on Ryu-Oh, mother," she responded casually, as if it were a silly question.  
Watching her surprised reaction, Aeka became more pleased with herself. "But wasn't it destroyed? Your father was very upset over that."  
She nodded her head. "Yes. It WAS destroyed."  
"I don't understand. What happened?"  
"Today is Christmas, here on Earth. A special someone performed what he calls, 'A miracle' and has somehow managed to restore my ship," she explained, gesturing to her surrounding area.  
Misaki's eyes widened a little more. "You're serious? Are you really on Ryu-oh?"  
Giggling to herself, she nodded her head. "Yes. My ship is back."  
"But how? Who did it?" Misaki asked, looking a little confused. But a moment later, her eyes became a little wider as realization entered her mind. "You don't mean, Russ, do you?"  
Again, Aeka nodded her head. "I don't know what he did, but he somehow managed to restore my ship to perfect condition. It's almost like it was built from scratch, as there are no defects at all in the workmanship. It's almost like it had just come out of the craft shop."  
The Joker in Batman couldn't match Misaki's smile. "I see. That's quite a gift he gave you, in that case. How goes the dating game with him, anyway?"  
Sighing quietly, Aeka's face became a little more downcast. "It never got off the ground. We're still at square one."  
"You're kidding!" she said, becoming concerned. "Why?"  
"He's still the same way as he was when you met him. He refuses to even consider a relationship with anybody. Every time I've brought it up, he avoids the subject. I don't know why."  
Misaki became silent for a few moments and looked at Aeka with her own amethyst eyes. "Maybe you're going about this all wrong. From what I could tell, you were always pursuing him, always trying to get him, and all around, you were putting out all of the effort into getting him. Maybe that isn't the way to make it happen."  
"What do you mean?"  
"If I'm correct, he comes from a race of people who are not all that dissimilar from those on Earth. What I mean is, that it's the guy who is supposed to initiate a relationship, not the girl. It's the guy who is supposed to pursue the girl, and it's the guy who is supposed to ask the girl out on a date, not the other way around. It could be that you're being a little too aggressive with him and he doesn't like that, or feels threatened by it, which is why he avoids it."  
Pondering over this for a few moments, she looked back at Misaki. "But, it worked with Tenchi and Ryoko. She was far more aggressive than I ever was, and she won out! How come I can't do the same thing and get the man I want?"  
"Is he Tenchi?" she asked.  
"Huh?"  
"What I mean is, is he the same person?"  
Looking at her mother in confusion, she continued to think quietly to herself. "I still don't understand what you're talking about, mom."  
"Russ is an entirely different person than Tenchi is. What worked on Tenchi may not work on him. You said you've been trying the same things Ryoko did and that it isn't working. The thing is, he's getting ALL of your attention, rather than having it be divided between two girls, like the way it was between you and Ryoko. He definitely does not have the same outlook on women as Tenchi does."  
"I see, but still. He knows I want him, he knows I care for him, and he probably knows that I love him, but even then, he still won't accept it. What can I do to make him change his mind?"  
Misaki smiled. "Back off of him for a while. Play hard to get. That may make him chase you instead of the other way around. If it doesn't, it'll make him feel a little more comfortable and less threatened. Just stop pursuing him. The last six months obviously didn't work. It's time to try something else."  
"I suppose you're right," Aeka said, considering the many encounters she had with Russ, remembering his gentle touch when she was feeling down, or how he'd talk with her when she was alone. The thing that stuck in her mind was how he'd always run away when she'd mention a date or going steady, but he'd always come around when she wasn't pursing him or trying to get him to do something that meant getting involved. Maybe it was time to try something fresh and new. "I think I can try that," she said, looking a little happier, her face filling with a new hope.  
"Yes. If that doesn't work, I'll come over there and tie him to a chair and lecture him on what my daughter wants," she laughed, drawing a small giggle from the Princess.  
"Thank you, mom. I feel better now," Aeka said, smiling.  
"By the way, I love your clothes!" Misaki said, her face filling the viewscreen again. "What are they, anyway?"  
Catching her off guard, Aeka started laughing. "It's just a sweater and a pair of jeans. They're plain old Earth clothes. How do you like them?"  
"You look so adorable in them! Can you galaxy-express me a couple pairs for myself?" Misaki asked, clasping her hands together. "I know it'll make your father furious, but I like to have clothing from other cultures too!"  
"I'll see what I can do," she said, folding her hands in front of her.  
"So Aeka, I've got all day to do nothing. What's new with you?" Misaki asked, sitting back on her throne.  
Aeka sat down on the floor of her ship, yoga style. "Where should I begin? OH! Guess what? I saw Russ as a super saiyan for the first time a couple months ago!"  
"Really? What'd he look like?"  
"Well, not all that different from the way he looked before, but his hair and eyebrows turned a golden yellow color, and his eyes became a beautiful sea-green. He grew a little taller and his hair stood on end, plus he became a heck of a lot more buff. It was crazy, but really neat to see."  
Misaki closed her eyes, trying to imagine what he looked like. "Did you get a picture of him?"  
"Washu might have one. I'll ask her about it later and send one along with the clothes," Aeka said, smiling.   
"Great. I can't wait to see it," the empress said.  
"Well, what's new with you, mom? I don't have anything to do for now. Russ took Sasami somewhere and he won't be back for another hour or two, so I've got the time to waste."  
"Hmmm, let's see… I know," she began, and Aeka knew that when she started a conversation like that, that it was going to take quite a long time to finish it. She sat back on her arms and relaxed, listening to her mother's stories and telling some of her own.  
  
"I still can't believe it's you," Washu kept saying, over and over, still completely blown away that her son, lost for over twenty thousand years, was standing next to her once again.  
Akaki chuckled quietly to himself. "I know. It feels weird for me too. After that I learned that Nikki was not my biological mother, I did a lot of research and investigating to try to find out who was. I, like you, came up with nothing but dead ends and more questions. I don't know how Russ did it, but I owe him a debt of gratitude that I don't think I could ever repay."  
"You and me both," Washu said, shaking her finger back and forth. "I never expected anything like this to come out of him," she said, sitting back in her chair. Akaki was sitting on a nearby cushion, and they had already been talking for nearly an hour, finding stories and drawing on experiences from both of their pasts, describing their lives in detail for each other. It was the best thing they could do to play catch-up. "Russ has been living with us for somewhere around six months. During that time, I really haven't seen a whole lot of him, but when I do, he usually makes my skin crawl. Thing is, he feels the same way about me too. He absolutely hates the way I treat others, but I don't see anything wrong with it. He always gets pissed at me whenever I tell someone that they owe me big time for doing them a huge favor. He believes that someone should not expect a form of payment for favors. However, he did tell me that if someone does do you a favor that they usually will return a favor when you're ready for one. He just doesn't like having me say that I expect it," Washu said, pulling herself up in her cushion a little more. "He had asked me for several large favors in the past, including the gravity machine he uses, the regeneration tank he wanted me to build, and lately, the entirely separate dimension that he wants to have his fight in. I had told him that he owes me big for all of that and he did get quite angry with me, but he said that he did have something planned that would make everything that I had done for him seem insignificant, but that I'd have to wait and see what it could be. I never, in a million years, would've guessed that he could've pulled this off. I'd love to know what he did that both you and I failed to do."  
Akaki relaxed, folding his legs Indian style while maintaining balance on the floating pillow. "He did mention that he sensed an energy from me. He said that it wasn't all that dissimilar from the energy he sensed from you. He has more abilities than anybody I've ever seen. I've never seen someone who could be so powerful and maintain it with a high sense of ethics. Most people that I've seen usually turn out to be real jerks or wind up having an arrogant attitude that a sledgehammer couldn't pound back into proportion. But he's friendly, helpful, and a total contrast to what I've typically seen. Another strange thing about him is that he doesn't have a girlfriend," he said, scratching his head. "When he visited me the first time, we talked for a good two or three hours, and he described a bit about himself and why he was living here with you guys. I sincerely hope that he can do something about the disaster that is apparently heading this way."  
"If anyone can do it, he can. You've seen how powerful the Jurians are, haven't you?" Washu asked, keying a few commands on her laptop, bringing up the battle footage from the Kain incident.  
Akaki nodded his head, and then turned his attention to the computer. "Yeah. They're really powerful, fast, and strong. They're the most powerful race in existence. They have no equal in the universe."  
Washu looked at him and shook her head. "Not anymore. Watch this battle footage I recorded," she said, playing back the video, starting when Tenchi released a huge, orange beam into Kain's face. "What you see here is Tenchi, who is of Jurai. As you can see, the computer calculated an energy level for that blast. I now use a new scale of measuring power, unlike the scouters you have probably seen. But anyway," she said, freezing the frame, "that blast came in at ten thousand. That is an extremely powerful blast, capable of destroying a small planet."  
"Yeah! Look at the sheer power from that blast. I've never seen a Jurian exhibit that amount of energy before. That's really impressive," Akaki mentioned, sliding a little closer to his mother.  
Washu shook her head, and fast-forwarded to when Russ walked out into the field to confront Kain. "Now watch what Russ does. You can see his current energy level, which is holding steady at only five hundred," she said, just as Russ clenched his fists, causing all kinds of strange phenomena to occur around him. The number on the computer screen immediately started going crazy, jumping to the hundred thousand spot and continued to rise at an insane rate.  
"What the heck? A million? TEN million?" he exclaimed, staring at the computer screen in shock, but the numbers still continued to climb. A moment later, the numbers became scrambled as it reached its limit of only twenty million, and Russ's hair stood on end while lightning streaked through the sky. Kain and everybody else stared at him in horror as he went up in a brilliant gold flash of energy, causing Akaki to sit back in his chair from the surprise.  
Washu allowed the replay to run a few more moments and then she paused it, getting a freeze frame of Russ as he stood, fully transformed into a super saiyan. "THAT is the most powerful race in existence," Washu declared, pointing at him.   
Transfixed on the computer screen, Akaki adjusted his glasses, thinking he could be seeing things. "What happened to him? Why is his hair yellow?"  
"That is his transformation into something called a super saiyan. It's a radical transformation that he can do that gives him an incredible boost to his speed, strength, and energy. He's hundreds of thousands of times more powerful than the strongest Jurian warriors."  
"Amazing."  
"But you see, he's not the only one who is that strong. That opponent that he told you he was going to face is just as powerful as he is, and just as experienced. Now you can see why I've done Russ as many favors as I have. For someone who fights as righteously as he does, who couldn't help but say yes?"  
Allowing the footage to run to the end, Akaki watched Russ summon up such an astronomical amount of energy. As a result, the monitoring device started having trouble maintaining a steady picture. A second later, Russ brought his hands out in front of him and released the biggest ki blast that Akaki had ever seen. The entire screen went blank for several seconds, and then came back online, but the event was over. Russ turned around and faced the group, and he could finally see Russ's green eyes, causing his own to widen in surprise. Russ walked over to the group and smiled, then said, "I win."  
"Well anyway," Washu said, letting her computer fade back into subspace and standing up. "Please, let me introduce you to the family. I'm sure they're all waiting to meet you."  
"I'd like that. Russ told me about Tenchi, Ryoko, Kiyone, Mihoshi, Nobuyuki, Katsuhito, Aeka, Sasami, and even Ryo-Ohki. I was very surprised to learn that the two princesses of Jurai and the most notorious space pirate ever known were all living under the same roof on such a distant planet."  
"Don't say anything like that to them when you meet them. They've all changed considerably."  
"I won't. Don't worry, mom."  
"And I expect you to be on your best behavior."  
Akaki rolled his eyes and smiled, extending his arm, which Washu latched onto. Walking to her door, it appeared, and they both walked through it, entering the living room of the Masaki home, where Ryoko and Tenchi were both sitting together on the couch, talking quietly to each other. They both turned when they heard the door open behind them.  
"Tenchi! Ryoko!" Washu said, approaching them with Akaki, who smiled down on both of them.  
"Hi Washu," they answered in unison.  
"Who is that?" Ryoko asked, looking at the young man suspiciously.  
Washu smiled and cackled to herself. "I'd like you both to meet my son, Akaki," she said, using his given name rather than his birth name.  
Both Ryoko and Tenchi fell off of the couch, completely stunned as to what she just said. "WHAT?!" they shouted together.  
"Hello. I'm Akaki. It's nice to meet the two of you," he said, extending his hand to Tenchi, and then to Ryoko. Both of them shook his hand, staring at him the whole time.  
"You're the long lost son of Washu? I'm very honored to meet you," Tenchi said, bowing humbly. "I had only heard little things about you, but I'm very, very glad to see you reunited with your mother. It makes me feel very good and I'm sure it does to Washu as well."  
"You have no idea how much joy I'm feeling, Tenchi. Words cannot describe the feeling that I have in my heart," she said, clinging onto Akaki's arm a little tighter.  
Ryoko mumbled something under her breath, staring at the little scientist.  
'What is it, Ryoko?' Washu asked her telepathically.  
'I don't trust the guy. Here he shows up out of the blue and claims to be your son who you haven't seen in twenty thousand years? How the hell do you know he's telling the truth?' she growled, casting a fake smile at Akaki.  
'I can understand that, but I was very careful in my scans of him. If he were hiding something, I would've found it. I compared them to scans that I had archived of him since his birth and they're almost identical. The aging process made the only variations that were caused. Other than that, he's my son. I guarantee it,' she said, using her best vote of confidence. 'Please be nice to him. It means so much to me to have him standing next to me again. I don't ever want to let go and I don't want him feeling uncomfortable. If you do, I'll tie you up like I did that one time I had that tea party with Mihoshi after Doctor Clay's capture.'  
Ryoko's forehead instantly became covered in little droplets of perspiration. "Akaki? My name is Ryoko. I'm happy to finally meet you."  
Akaki smiled. "Very nice to meet you, Ryoko. You're more beautiful in person than you were on the wanted posters," he said.  
Ryoko started laughing, taking it in good humor. "I'm not a wanted criminal anymore. I've settled down here on Earth with my love, Tenchi," she said, pulling him a little closer, rubbing her head affectionately on Tenchi's shoulder.  
Rolling his eyes, Tenchi shook his head and laughed. "Please, sit down. I'd love to visit with you if you have time. We've got nothing better to do. We already ate, but we have some leftovers if you'd like them. It isn't Sasami's cooking, but my dad can do a pretty good job on his own. Both of our master chefs are still out of the house for now. They should be back soon."  
"Thank you," Akaki said, moving over to the loveseat, plopping into the soft cushions. Washu took the seat next to him, still clinging to his arm. "Mom, you're going to make my arm fall asleep," he teased. Washu didn't even notice he said anything.  
Tenchi chuckled. "Hey dad!" Tenchi called.  
"What is it, son?" Nobuyuki called from the upstairs.  
"Come down here and meet Washu's son!"  
"What? You're kidding!" he responded, as two pairs of feet started thumping through the house. A moment later, Nobuyuki came down the stairs, followed by Katsuhito. They both stopped and looked at the blonde haired boy who sat on the loveseat with Washu. The duo looked on Katsuhito and Nobuyuki with the same shade of green eyes, and they both smiled.  
Akaki stood up and extended his hand, as Nobuyuki came over to the couch. "Pleasure to meet you, sir," he said, shaking his hand heartily, and then taking Katsuhito's hand in his own, repeating the action.  
"So, you're Washu's long-lost son? Amazing! How did you find her?" Nobuyuki asked, sitting down in the lazyboy chair.  
"Actually, it was Russ who reunited us. We owe him many thanks."  
"RUSS did it? Good grief, is there anything he can't do?" Nobuyuki exclaimed, sitting on the edge of the chair.  
"Beats me, but he's full of surprises," Katsuhito said, sitting on the couch next to Ryoko. She eyed him suspiciously, waiting for him to do something perverted.  
"I'll be right back," Nobuyuki said, standing up and hurrying off to the kitchen. He returned a few moments later with the teakettle and six cups. He filled each cup with the green tea, and handed each cup off to Tenchi, Ryoko, Katsuhito, Washu, Akaki, and finally one for himself. "So, tell us a bit about yourself. I'd love to know what the son of Washu has done with his life."  
Akaki grinned, taking a deep breath. "Well, where should I begin? Well, I guess I could start at the beginning, eh? It should help pass some time away."  
Everybody sat back and listened as Akaki gave a very abbreviated version of his life story.  
  
Russ sneezed, a result of all the dust that he blew off of the computer core. After wrestling with the unit for nearly fifteen minutes, he had gotten himself completely covered in dirt, grime, and dust. He looked more like an auto mechanic or a grease monkey than a warrior. Carefully undoing the mounts that held the computer in place, he finally removed it.  
In the engineering section, Russ had tried to find the power supply for the ship, but even after he found it, he couldn't make it work. There was just no juice left in the unit to make it function. It was tricky, but he managed to remove the computer core without breaking anything. On the way back to the hanger, he had stopped and gotten Mirei and Sasami, and all three of them went back to his fighter.  
Spending another five minutes connecting it to his fighter, he finally got the unit to hum to life.  
Russ smiled. "Now, let's see what we've got here," he said, typing several commands on a nearby keypad, pulling the most recent logs from the recorder. For the first few moments, nothing but static greeted his ears from the audio and video system, but eventually, an unstable picture and bad audio greeted his senses. Adjusting several algorithms, he got the fighter to recognize the data, and it played back in near perfect condition.  
"Wow," Sasami said, looking at the viewscreen, which had an image of the bridge and the people operating the ship. "You made it work!"  
Mirei looked at the image and smiled. "That's my ship," she said quietly, watching it in wonder. It was the first time she had seen the bridge with all the people onboard, hurrying about and operating the vessel skillfully.  
"Shhh," Russ said, putting his finger up to his mouth, watching the bridge crew operate the ship.  
  
"Captain! Picking up an unidentified ship on sensors," the helmsman said, turning around to face the cleanly dressed officer.  
"Put it onscreen," he said, watching the image flash up on his monitor. A new vessel, unlike anything Russ had ever seen, was on an intercept course to the civilian cruiser. It was absolutely monstrous. Larger in diameter than Tom's Star Destroyer, it had about as much mass as about two of those ships. It continued to approach, filling the entire viewscreen as everybody watched in horror.  
  
Sasami gasped in horror. "I KNOW that ship," she whispered, looking at it fearfully. "That's Kagato's ship! The one that imprisoned Ryoko and Washu!"  
Russ turned to look at her in shock. "Oh my god, you've got to be kidding."  
"No. I'd recognize that ship from anywhere," Sasami said, watching the viewscreen.  
  
"Hail the vessel!" the captain barked, sitting down in his chair. "Raise shields!"  
Before his orders could be carried out, the space pirate Ryoko materialized right on the bridge, her eyes glowing an evil shade of green. She was dressed in a black and red one-piece battle suit, and she didn't look like she had any emotion. She had her three gems, but they were glowing green instead of red. One was on each wrist, and one was on her neck.  
Upon her appearance on the bridge, the people turned around in a panic, and some of them picked up the hand weapons that they kept onboard for emergencies. They took aim and fired, but each shot they made bounced harmlessly off of her forcefield. She turned, pointed her palm at several of the men, and let loose a large, orange blast, vaporizing the helpless crew. The resulting explosion knocked a bulkhead out of place, which crashed into a computer console, annihilating it. Red warning lights began to flash all over the ship, as they were under attack.  
"What is the meaning of this?!" the captain shouted, standing up from his chair.  
Ryoko turned toward him, letting her orange sword blaze into existence, and with a casual swing from her wrist, she cut the man down. He fell back into his chair, dead.  
  
Sasami turned away from the screen, horrorstruck at what had transpired. Mirei and Russ both stared at the atrocity in horror, and Mirei had almost gone into shock over what she had just seen. The terror in those people's faces couldn't have been matched by anyone Russ had ever fought against. Once the bridge was cleared, Russ could still hear the screams of people as they were cut down and pillaged of their valuables.  
A moment later on the bridge, Kagato, the Galaxy Police's most wanted, appeared, surveyed the damage, and walked away, like he didn't even care at the atrocities that he and Ryoko had just committed.  
"I can't believe what I'm seeing," Russ whispered, unable to turn away. Sasami was crying, covering her ears so she didn't have to see or hear the awful noises that were being played back. Mirei was near her, gently talking to her. Russ continued to watch the video, but he turned the sound way down. After nearly fifteen minutes, the violence stopped. Ryoko and Kagato returned to the bridge with a little girl, as they both looked at her with cold, heartless eyes.  
"We're leaving you here, alone," Kagato said. "Be grateful that you're still alive, but I doubt you'll stay that way for long," he said, blasting another control panel, causing the entire ship to shut down. "In several hours, it'll get so cold in here that you'll freeze to death instead," he laughed, as he vanished. Ryoko looked at the little girl, a tear falling out of the corner of her eye, as she too, vanished. The video stopped a few moments later, as the computer core lost power.  
  
Russ clenched his fists and stared hard at the screen, restraining himself from smashing the computer core into a billion pieces. He knew about all the stories Ryoko and Washu told him about her past, but he didn't realize how severe it was. Now, he had seen it, and it made him absolutely furious. He knew Ryoko didn't have any control over what she was doing, but he still couldn't believe what she had done. He seethed with hatred at the old man, who had done what he did to the little girl. Russ looked over at Mirei, who looked at Russ with sad eyes. She hung her head, and then started crying.  
Slowly moving over to her, Russ sat down on the floor with them, wrapped his arms around both of the crying children, bringing them closer and holding them tightly. He held them there for nearly five minutes, doing his best to keep from crying with them. He had never seen such a sick, twisted evil as that in his entire life. Not even Frieza could match his cruelty.  
"Kagato. If he were still alive right now, he wouldn't be for much longer," Russ snarled, holding both girls close. "Acts like that are unforgivable. I can't believe anybody could do that to another person and be happy about it. It's sick," Russ said, squeezing the girls tightly, trying his best to comfort the both of them.  
Sasami stopped crying, but remained close to Russ. "So that's what happened to Mirei?" she finally asked.  
Russ looked at the little ghost and nodded his head. "Yes. An innocent victim who didn't deserve the fate she was given," he said. "I'm so sorry, Mirei. I wish I was around to stop him."  
The young ghost looked up at him with serenity in her face. "At least now I know what happened to me," she said, relaxing her body. All three of them remained sitting on the floor, but remained fairly quiet.  
"So you know, Kagato is dead. Tenchi had finished him off somewhere around two or three years ago. That bad man can cause no harm to anybody else, ever again. He has lost his control over Ryoko, and she has since then been reformed. Believe it or not, she is to become Tenchi's wife," he said, smiling, hoping to lighten the mood a little, then sighed. "I'm still very upset over what happened to you though, Mirei. If there was something I could do, I would do it."  
"I know," she said, the tears still slowly falling down her cheeks. "How long have I been here?"  
Russ thought a moment. "At least seven hundred years. Yosho imprisoned Ryoko about that long ago, but Tenchi only recently released her. Since she was with Kagato in the video, it had to have been longer than that."  
Mirei looked up at him, and Russ's heart ached. "I've been here alone for seven hundred years? How much longer am I going to have to remain here?"  
"Mirei?" Sasami began, looking at her. "Can you come home with us? You don't have to be here alone anymore. We will take you back to our place and you can live with us!"  
Shaking his head, Russ put his hand gently on Sasami's shoulder. "Unfortunately, that cannot happen. However, I think since the mystery has been solved, that she is now free to pass over to the other side," he said, looking at Mirei.  
She looked up at Russ with a glimmer of hope. "I can go?"  
"Shhh, just wait a moment," Russ said. "I can feel something happening."  
Mirei, Sasami, and Russ all sat quietly on the landing deck of the cruiser, listening, waiting. After a few minutes, a soft, warm glow illuminated the hanger, basking it in brilliant, white light. It lit every single nook and cranny throughout the entire bay, not even leaving a shadow in existence. The glow intensified in one spot, and after a moment, two people walked out of the light and into the bay.  
Sasami gasped, looking at the adult couple in wonder, and Russ shared her same, surprised expression. Mirei looked at the two adults, her tears streaming anew.  
"Mama!" she shouted, leaping up from her sitting position. "Papa!"  
The two adults smiled and knelt down, welcoming their daughter into their arms. Mirei continued to cry, overjoyed to be reunited with her parents. She no longer had to be alone, ever again.  
Russ and Sasami stood up from their positions on the floor, and Russ put his arm around the little princess's shoulder, holding her close. Sasami reached up and held onto Russ's hand, watching the joyous reunion take place, like an old, silent film.  
"She's reunited with her parents now. Since the mystery has been resolved and the perpetrator who orchestrated the whole thing is now dead, she has no reason to remain on this ship anymore," Russ explained quietly. "I will take the data core over to Kiyone and Mihoshi, and they will be able to file a report with the Galaxy Police on the fate of the crew and passengers of this ship."  
After a minute of watching the parents and daughter rejoice, Mirei turned around and looked at the two people who made it all possible. She turned and walked back over to Sasami, happiness all over her face.  
"I can go home now, Sasami," she said, hugging her. "I won't be alone anymore."  
"I'm very happy for you, Mirei," Sasami whispered, holding the little ghost closely. "All the memories that we shared will stay with me for a lifetime."  
Mirei smiled. "I can help with that, a little," she said, running toward a wall, which she passed through.  
Russ and Sasami turned to look at each other in curiosity, wondering what she meant. But they didn't have much time to ponder over it, as Mirei re-appeared a few seconds later, holding something.  
"This is a picture of me that I had kept in my room," she said, giving it to Sasami. "I had added you in when you had left the last time you were here. I wanted to remember you, and I hope you'll remember me the same way. But I have something else I must add to it," she said, waving her hand. In between Sasami and Mirei in the photograph, Russ was added, smiling, with a hand on each girl, kneeling down to their height.  
"Wow!" she exclaimed, clutching the picture close. "I'll treasure this forever, Mirei. Thank you!"  
Russ knelt down and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Mirei," he said, as she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Go now. Your mother and father are waiting for you," he said, watching the couple stand by each other, smiling, almost looking like a photograph themselves.  
"I'll never forget you guys," Mirei called, running into the light, following her parents. "Good bye! I'll miss you!"  
"Bye, Mirei!" both Russ and Sasami yelled, after she disappeared. The white glow slowly faded away, until it left the bay altogether.  
Looking into the blackness, the soft glow that Mirei had given the hanger bay faded, revealing all the dirt, dust, and damage that had been there before she made her appearance. Russ, Sasami, and Ryo-Ohki all walked back to the Tie Defender in silence, climbed aboard, and sealed the hatch. Powering up the fighter, Russ carefully turned it around, and slowly flew out of the bay, putting some distance between him and the cruiser. He turned the fighter around one final time, took a good, long look at the ship, and then pointed his fighter toward home.  
Russ could hear Sasami sniffle quietly to herself. "Are you okay back there?"  
Again, she sniffled. "I don't know why, but I feel sad that I'll never see her again," she said, wiping the falling tears from her eyes.  
Pushing the hyperdrive lever all the way forward, the stars became streaks as the fighter entered hyperspace, flying down the tunnel of color. "You should be happy, Sasami. She no longer has to be alone. She's with her parents now. It is true that you won't see her, but it isn't true that you won't see her ever again. You have a very long life ahead of you, Sasami. One day, you will see her again," he said, turning around to look the princess.  
"Will I?" she asked, a glimmer of hope in her pink eyes.  
Russ smiled, nodding his head yes. "One day, you will. But not for a long time."  
Sasami looked out of the window at the colors of hyperspace, a small smile on her lips as the two of them hurtled through hyperspace, heading toward home.  
  
Aeka, Nobuyuki, Katsuhito, Ryoko, Tenchi, Kiyone, Mihoshi, Washu, and Akaki all sat in the living room drinking tea, and sharing stories from each of their pasts, some of them completely ridiculous and some of them very serious. Aeka and Ryoko talked about their rivalry and how it had come to an end, and that they were almost the best of friends now. They had all lived under the same roof for the past three years, and they had enjoyed every minute of it.  
"I wish Russ was here so you could meet Sasami," Aeka said, playing with one of the strings to the hood on her sweater. "He's been gone for almost three hours."  
"Yeah," Ryoko interjected. "Where is that barbarian anyway?"  
"He is NOT a barbarian!" Aeka shrilled, turning toward the space pirate angrily.  
Ryoko laughed. "You're the one who gave him that nickname, not me, your highness," she retorted. "Besides, I think I can hear his fighter now."  
Listening for several seconds, the noise of the Tie Defender's ion engines became more and more audible, as the fighter flew over the house and carefully landed near the lake on its three landing struts. The hatch opened up, allowing Sasami, Ryo-Ohki and Russ to exit the fighter. Both the princess and the cabbit ran toward the house, trying to get out of the cold. Sealing the hatch, Russ made his way back to the house and came inside.  
"Welcome back, you two! Where did you go?" Nobuyuki asked, greeting Sasami and Russ as they entered the house. They all looked at Russ funny as he was covered from head to toe in dirt and grime. "What happened to you?" he asked, eyeballing Russ.  
The two looked at each other and smiled.  
"Now that," Russ began, holding up his index finger, "is a secret."  
Sasami started laughing at Russ's impression of Xellos, and quickly ran up the stairs to her room, where she put the picture up on her nightstand. She returned a few moments later.  
"Well, that was rather interesting. Anyway, Kiyone?" Russ said, holding the computer unit in his hands. "I have something here that you should file a report on. But don't worry about doing it today."  
"What is it, Russ?"  
"This is a computer data log from a derelict ship," he said, holding up the core. "This should help solve a couple thousand missing person reports."  
Kiyone stood up from the table, moved over to Russ, and accepted the computer core. "Thanks for your help."  
"No problem. But anyway, are you guys ready for the last and final gift I have to give everybody?" he asked, standing tall, wearing a big grin.  
"I've been waiting for this," Tenchi said, holding Ryoko. "What is it?"  
Russ became very serious. "Listen closely to this, as this is very important. I will be bringing a visitor here to see you people," Russ said, drawing various looks from everybody who was seated. Russ swallowed a growing lump in his throat, becoming nervous at being the center of attention from almost a dozen people. "This person can only remain here for one, twenty-four hour day. After which, I will have to take the person back. The gods are probably going to be pissed at me for doing this, but I worked it out months before, so there should be no problem."  
"Well, who is it?" Nobuyuki asked, genuinely curious.  
Russ took in a deep breath. "I'll go and get her," Russ said, smiling. "Please don't have a heart attack when you see her."  
Everybody had mixed reactions to what he had said, but remained quiet.  
"Back in a moment. Don't go anywhere," he said, putting two fingers to his forehead and disappearing.  
"What do you suppose it could be?" Aeka asked, looking at Ryoko and Tenchi.  
"I have absolutely no idea," he responded. "What about you, grandpa?"  
Katsuhito shook his head back and forth. "I have no idea, Tenchi."  
The group didn't have much more time to debate, as they heard Russ re-appear in the kitchen. The door slid open and Russ stepped out, a huge grin on his face.  
"Are you sure you're all ready for this?"  
"Yeah," Tenchi said.  
"Remember, she can only remain here for ONE DAY. Since it is now noon, she will have to leave at noon tomorrow," he reminded them, and then turned back toward the kitchen. "Come on out now," he said quietly, accepting a hand that appeared out of sight.  
Gently pulling her into view, her hand was visible first, followed by a black dress. She had brown eyes and black hair, which was wound up into a waist-length ponytail by a red band. The girl only appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen, and she was very beautiful. She had on white socks that covered her legs a little over her ankles, and her shoes were black as well. It was a complete school uniform that hadn't been worn in Japan for a good twenty-five years. One interesting attribute about the girl was her golden halo, which hovered about six inches above her head. She stepped out of the kitchen and looked at the group, smiling at everybody.  
Katsuhito, Nobuyuki, and Tenchi all turned ghostly white in shock and surprise, as recognition immediately smashed through all of their heads like a tidal wave. Ryoko, Aeka, Sasami, Washu, Kiyone and Mihoshi all gasped in complete and utter surprise, watching her move from the kitchen to stand by Russ's side.  
"My wife in Heaven," Nobuyuki whispered hoarsely, unable to find his voice. His hands visibly trembled while he looked the girl up and down, tears squeezing themselves out of the corners of his eyes.  
Katsuhito had a similar reaction, his face frozen into shock. He too was trembling, as he stood up from the couch, slowly making his way over to the girl. Tenchi and Nobuyuki joined him, all of them transfixed on her, unable to come up with words to describe the feelings they had.  
She giggled, genuinely pleased with their reactions. Smiling at each of them in turn, she stepped away from Russ and stopped in front of Nobuyuki, looking at him in the same way that she used to, long before they were married.  
Grinning widely, Russ was utterly pleased with himself, watching everybody's reaction to her re-appearance. "Say hello to Achika, Tenchi's mother and Nobuyuki's wife, and daughter of Lord Katsuhito," Russ said quietly, his introduction going almost completely ignored. Russ backed off a little further, approaching the door to the outside. "Merry Christmas, everybody," he said quietly, as he slipped outside, unnoticed by everybody, except for Aeka, who caught him out the corner of her eye.  
"Hi Nobuyuki," Achika greeted, smiling at her husband.  
Nobuyuki carefully reached out, caressing the side of her face, the tears visibly streaming out of his eyes in happiness. "Is it really you?" he whispered.  
Achika smiled, reaching up and holding his hand in hers. "It's me," she said, smiling the way she used to.  
Nobuyuki slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her close, squeezing her tightly, crying into her shoulder. Achika also had tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, so very happy to be in the presence of her family again. They held each other for what seemed like an eternity, and Nobuyuki released her, looking into her eyes.  
"I can't believe it," he squeaked, unable to find his voice again.  
Katsuhito approached her next, his eyes wide as he looked into her own. She gazed into Katsuhito's old, wrinkled face, and then quickly wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Katsuhito stood flabbergasted, carefully wrapping his arms around her as well, holding her. He hadn't held his daughter in nearly two decades, and it felt good to do it once again.  
"How did he do it?" he asked, as she buried her face into his white robes.  
Raising her face up to gaze into Katsuhito's, she smiled. "Russ told me that it was because Kain had come back. Since he did, he could do this for me," she replied. "But he said it was far more complex than that, and he had to call in a lot of favors. Fortunately, the gods allowed me to keep my body, as the Grand Kai allows all the powerful warriors who perish in battle to do that. I was one of them."  
Katsuhito nodded his head, completely understanding her. "Welcome back, Achika. You have no idea how much joy you've brought to his old man's heart on this day."  
"Mother?" Tenchi said, finally taking his turn, stepping up to the young woman and admiring her from head to toe.  
"My Tenchi," she swooned, hugging him dearly. "I'm so happy to be able to talk to you, one more time," she cried, holding him like only a mother could do. "I've watched you grow up to be the man you are today, and I couldn't be happier."  
Holding his mother tightly, he began to cry. It was something he hadn't allowed himself to do for a great many years. He always told himself that men didn't cry, but it didn't matter now. His level of joy couldn't be measured by anything. "I can't believe you're here!"  
"I'm here, Tenchi, but only for one day. Lets make the most of it, shall we?" she said, releasing him. She looked around the room at everybody else, all of which still had the same, awestruck expressions that they had when she walked into the room. "Hello again, everybody. It's good to see you all again."  
"You remember us?" Washu asked, surprised.  
Achika nodded. "After I had passed away, the memories you erased from me were restored. I know about everything that had happened."  
Washu nodded her head. "It's good to see you again, Lady Achika," Washu said, still sitting next to her son. "This is my son, Akaki," she said, introducing him.  
Akaki stood and bowed. "I'm humbled to meet the mother of Tenchi," he said, showing her the utmost respect. "I've been away from my mother for over twenty thousand years, and we were just reunited today."  
"I know. I saw it happen," she said, nodding her head. "It makes me feel so happy to be with everybody again, even if it is only for a day."  
"Please, sit down and have some tea," Katsuhito said, guiding her to the lazyboy chair. He poured the tea into a clean cup and gave it to her, which she accepted, taking a sip. "Strong as always," she giggled, drawing a light blush from her father.  
"It's so wonderful to see you again, Lady Achika," Aeka said, standing up from her seat on the couch. "But, why are you only eighteen years old? I thought you passed away many years later?"  
Achika smiled. "I chose to be eighteen again, because I was this age when Kain attacked us. Plus, I was this age when I met Nobuyuki," she said, causing her husband to blush a light crimson.   
The princess smiled and nodded. "But you're real? You aren't like a ghost or anything?"  
"Nope. This is a real body, and it is really me. The only difference is, I am dead. This halo over my head indicates that," she said pointing to it.  
"I see," Katsuhito said, rubbing his chin.  
"You say that too much, daddy," she said, giggling.  
Katsuhito grinned, chuckling quietly.  
Sasami approached her from the side and smiled. "Hi," she said, smiling, and bowing politely.  
"Sasami. It's very nice to see you again," Achika said. "I'm glad to see you're happy and well."  
The little princess giggled, and then moved away from her, sitting down on the floor.  
"It is very nice to see you again, Achika, but I must excuse myself," Aeka said, getting her coat and mittens. "I have to go talk to someone."  
Achika nodded her head. "Go get him, Aeka. Don't ever give up."  
She froze for a moment, and then smiled. "I'll never give up. I won't let this one go. Ever."  
Aeka and Achika shared a knowing glance, and then Aeka went outside.  
"I've been watching those two as well," Achika said. "It almost reminds me of how it went between Nobuyuki and myself. I would've never guessed that he'd become a pervert after I passed away," she laughed, causing Nobuyuki to turn as red as one of the Christmas tree bulbs. "I'm just teasing, sweetie."  
Nobuyuki chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "None of them compared to you, my dear," he replied.  
"Good answer," she replied, blushing slightly.  
"So mom, what's it like in Heaven?" Tenchi asked, drawing curious looks from the group.  
Achika shook her head. "I can't say much about it, as I've been forbidden to do so. But I can tell you that it is the most beautiful, amazing place that could possibly exist. I can see you any time I want, and even though you can't see me, there have been plenty of times that I've stood right next to you, watching you grow up into the young man that you've become," she described, smiling. "And you're going to get married! I was so overjoyed to watch you propose to Ryoko that I almost couldn't stand waiting for Russ to come and get me!"  
Tenchi looked at her in surprise. "You saw that?"  
Nodding her head yes, she smiled. "I've been watching everything today, as I knew that I'd be coming back to visit everybody. As I said before, he arranged it months ahead of time."  
"I wonder how Russ found the time to do all of that," Kiyone said, listening to everybody. "He was always so busy training himself."  
"I've seen that too," Achika said. "I've seen people like him in Heaven before. One of them was named Goku, and he looked almost identical to Russ, except he was a bit shorter, and he always wore orange clothes. He didn't seem to be very smart, but he was a very nice person and easy to get along with. He introduced me to some of his friends and they were all nice as well."  
"Wow! What kind of food do they have there?" Mihoshi asked, thinking about mountains of sweets that she could eat.  
Laughing to herself, Achika shook her head. "Food is never a problem. All the sweets you can eat, Mihoshi," she responded. "But anyway, please don't ask any more questions about Heaven. Instead, I'd like to talk with you guys about you. How has my son been treating everybody?"  
Washu cackled evilly. "He's my little guinea pig," she said, causing Akaki to look at her curiously. "He's a very good one too."  
Achika started laughing. "What kind of experiments have you done to him?"  
Washu grinned even wider. "You really wanna know?"  
Smiling widely, she nodded her head yes.  
"Well, the very first time I scanned him turned out to be very interesting. You remember it, don't you Tenchi?" Washu asked, causing him to squirm uncomfortably. Ryoko shot her a look of death, causing Washu to grin even wider. "Wait 'till I tell her about the experiments I've done on you, Ryoko."  
Everybody sat back and listened as Washu described some of the things she had done with Tenchi, carefully avoiding any perverted things she had attempted. Each person described things that they had done with Tenchi, most of them very hilarious, causing Tenchi to blush and Achika to almost fall out of her chair laughing. They were all having a great time, ignoring the passage of the hours.  
  
It was still very cold outside, but Russ ignored it as he went to Tenchi's training ground, exercising at two thousand times Earth's normal gravity. Performing his normal routine, he allowed his mind to wander, thinking about all of the events that transpired throughout the day. However, despite all the joy that he had given everybody, he still felt a tinge of depression, nagging him at the back of his mind. No matter how much joy he could give or receive, he continued to feel alone and depressed, even in a group of people who loved him.  
Living with Tenchi and his family for the past six months had been quite a ride, as he went to the Startica festival with everybody, fought against Kain, and now, Christmas. Everybody always did their best to include Russ in their activities, but it still didn't matter. He still felt alone and cut off from the outside world. He knew of Zorpheus's impending arrival and he knew that he had to be at one hundred ten percent to stand a chance of actually defeating him. They had never fought to kill each other before, and Russ knew that when a life was on the line, it was a fight where anything goes. If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. It was that simple. There were no rules.  
Continuing to rapidly punch and kick in the air, spinning around an invisible circle, he continued to wonder what would happen if he did lose. He knew failure was not an option, but was possible. Would Zorpheus be inclined to destroy the planet and everybody on it? Knowing Zorpheus, he probably wouldn't, but it was still a strong possibility. Would he take his frustrations out on all of his friends? Again, it was not likely, but possible.  
Russ shuddered at the thought of him harming any of his new friends, especially Aeka. She was always so kind, considerate, and happy around him, and she was one of the most beautiful people he had ever met, in mind, body, and spirit. He had only known one person before Aeka who was very similar to her, and she was killed as a result of his inability to stop it. He only acquired the power necessary after she was murdered, but by then, what difference did it make? She was already gone and the power meant nothing. Russ was able to annihilate and destroy all the people who had killed her, but he couldn't do the one thing that he wanted to do, and that was save her life. Never again would he allow something like that to happen. Not now. Not ever. And in making his decision, he closed himself off, trying to avoid the love of a woman for the rest of his life. He would never reveal the real reason behind it all, but instead, make up excuse after excuse. He almost let it slip when Ryoko asked about it after the Kain incident, only telling her that there was a girl who was almost like Aeka is. Except his relationship with that girl was just about ready to progress to the next step, when it went up in a fireball.  
Russ stopped his exercises and looked into the clear, blue, afternoon sky, the sun shining brightly as the sparrows continued to chirp in the bare trees. Even though the atmosphere was wonderful and beautiful, Russ hung his head, now thinking about Aeka. She was so perfect in so many ways, and it killed him to keep telling her no over and over. He would give anything to have her, but the risk was far, far too great. If she were to be killed as a result of trying to become involved in one of his affairs, he knew that he would probably go insane. Even though he tried to block out his feelings, he did love her, with almost all of his heart. He knew that she loved him too and wanted to be with him, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep telling her no. An aching heart can usually only be healed by the love of another, and he continually denied himself that love, saying that it was for the best. Zorpheus always told him, "That is the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard."  
Making his way over to the shrine, Russ cracked a smile, thinking back to how Zorpheus would always try to be a playboy, always asking other women out on a date, most of which left him groaning in pain from a kick to the crotch. But that never stopped him. The one thing Russ knew about him is that he enjoyed the chase more than the prize, and that he was hard pressed to get into bed, even by some of the most drop-dead gorgeous women in the universe. He still had a high sense of morals and ethics, and Russ was proud of him for that. Just that Zorpheus liked to touch far more than he should have.  
Reaching the top of the hill, Russ looked around at the snow-covered ground, realizing that he should probably remove the snow from the pathways, as it would have to be done later anyway. Placing his hand out in front of him, he created a strong wind that blew the snow away, looking like a blizzard in front of him. Slowly moving forward, he slowly cleared all the snow from the paths around the shrine. Once he finished, he picked up a large clump of snow, rolled it into a snowball, and then began rolling the ball on the ground, gathering more and more snow. After walking a full circle around the shrine, the ball was nearly six feet in diameter, and Russ grinned in satisfaction. Rolling up a second snowball, he made another trip around the shrine, taking a shorter path. The resulting ball was five feet in diameter, weighing almost a ton. Carefully, Russ worked his hands under the snowball, lifted it up easily, and set it down on the first ball, packing it tightly to keep it from rolling off. Rolling up a third snowball, he made a very short trip around the building, resulting in a much smaller ball, which he set on top of the snowman, packing it down to keep it from rolling off. Placing his hand out in front of him, he produced just enough energy to melt the outside of the snowman, allowing the water to seep into the snow, packing it down even tighter, and then allowed it to freeze. He stepped back and admired his handiwork, and then punched a few small holes in the head for eyes, another for the nose, and a long line for a big smile.  
Russ sighed, looking at it. Even though he made it smile, he was still sad and unhappy on the inside. Shaking his head, he turned around to head back down the steps, planning on exercising a little more, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Aeka standing at the top of the stairs, her hands folded in front of her as she smiled at him. He walked toward her, but didn't return her smile, and instead, let the hole in his heart grow a little larger. It took almost everything he had to keep from bursting into tears in front of her.  
"What's wrong?" she asked as he gave her a fake smile, and then tried to walk past her.  
"Nothing, Aeka. Just thinking."  
She grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving her there. "You've been doing a lot of that lately. You've been hiding it very well, but you're not happy. I can tell just by the way you made that snowman."  
Russ shook his head, pulling himself free. "I'm sorry, Aeka. I should be happier since it is Christmas and all, but I'm not."  
"Why?"  
"I miss my parents," he lied, hoping that she'd buy into it.  
"I remember you talking about that quite a while ago. But for some reason, I'm finding it harder and harder to believe that. You're hiding something, and I want to know what."  
"I'm sorry, Aeka, but this is something I cannot talk to anybody about. Please, go back inside with the family. It's cold out here," Russ said, starting to descend the stairs.  
Aeka turned and kept pace with him. "They're all visiting with Achika, and you're out here alone. I'd rather be here with you," she said.  
Cracking a slight smile, Russ shook his head. "Thanks, but that isn't necessary."  
"Who cares if it is or isn't? I want to be here, and unless you don't want me here, I'm sticking with you for today."  
"Why?"  
"I need a reason to be next to you?" she said, sounding hurt.  
Russ stopped and looked her in the eyes, and they shared a moment of the same, lonely depression. "No. You don't need a reason. It's just that I'm more of a loner."  
"It isn't good to be alone, especially on a day like today. Please, come with me," she said, taking his arm, trying to lead him somewhere.  
"Aeka, stop. I already told you before, and I hate to keep reminding you of it. I don't want anything between us. Friendship is okay, but nothing more."  
"I'm only being friends with you right now, and I know you don't want to progress it any further, but I want to. I'm not going to stop until you say yes," she said, yanking his arm, spinning him around to face her directly. "I'm not someone you can just push aside and walk away. I have feelings too, you know, and they can be hurt just as easily as your own!"  
"I know that! I told you on the day that we met that you shouldn't pursue me or become interested in me. I knew you were depressed and I said some things that I probably shouldn't have. The big one was telling you to wait for me after the battle with Zorpheus. I did try to set the record straight about a week later, but I think you made your mind up."  
"That's right," she said, squeezing his arms tightly. "I have made my mind up. I… want to be with you for the rest of my life," she said, trembling, letting the tears fall out of the corners of her eyes. "I've never had the guts to even tell Tenchi that, but I'm sure of it with you. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain."  
Russ hung his head, furious at himself for making her cry. But he knew that he was going to have to do it yet again, and it tore at his heart like a lion on its prey. "I did it again. I made you cry. I'm sorry Aeka, but I can't do it. I made a decision a long time ago, a personal vow that I would never fall in love."  
Aeka looked at him in shock as Russ grimaced, realizing that he just revealed the secret he's been trying to keep concealed. "What?" she asked, unsure if she heard him correctly.  
"It's true. I've made a personal promise to myself that I'd never fall in love. It almost happened once, and because of a horrific tragedy, I swore I'd never do it again. Never," he said, turning away from Aeka and continuing down the steps. "The pain was just too great."  
Leaping forward, she grabbed him again, holding him tightly from behind. "I don't care about your stupid promise to yourself," she said.  
"Aeka, please stop. Even if you did love me, I still couldn't return it. I won't allow myself to."  
Spinning him around again, she slapped him straight across the face, her hand leaving a red welt on Russ's cheek. He almost didn't seem to notice. "WAKE UP, RUSS!" she screamed, shaking him back and forth. "WHY?!"  
"Do you really want to know?" he asked quietly, his face turned away from her.  
"Please!" she said, the tears streaming down her face.  
"I had almost fallen in love, once. It was with a beautiful girl I had met on a planet fairly close to Earth. Her name was Laurie, and she was the most absolute perfect girl I had ever met in my life. She was always happy, always had a bright and cheery thing to say, and could bring me out of my most foul moods with her smile. She wasn't much of a fighter or a warrior, but she didn't need to be. We had done everything together. We went out together on several occasions, cooked for each other, and enjoyed each other's company. Whenever we had a day off, we'd spend it together. We'd always call each other and talk to each other when we were apart, and it almost felt as if we were married, or at least, at the first stage of dating. But we really didn't get serious until after we had been friends for about a year. She told me that she wanted something more, and honestly, I did too. We never kissed each other, as we never got the chance. Only a day after she said she wanted to go steady, the planet was attacked by a group of pirate raiders. They bombarded the planet, killed almost everybody who stood in their way. Emergency calls went out on every single communications channel, and I teleported back to her planet. The men who were there were extremely strong. They were more powerful than I was, as I tried to stop them from harming her. I tried to fight them off, but I couldn't do it. Laurie had come out of the house, screaming at them to stop, but they just laughed and continued to pound me. She turned and ran back into the house, locking the door behind her, as she knew that she couldn't do anything," Russ described, recalling the memory in perfect detail.  
Listening in shock, Aeka didn't say anything, as this came as a total surprise to her.  
Russ continued. "The leader of the group told me and his men to watch what happens to those who stand against him, as he pointed his hand at the house, releasing a large beam, destroying the house and my friend in a tremendously huge fireball. Laurie was instantly killed, and when that happened, a part of me died too. I became infuriated, and could feel my blood boiling with a rage that I had never felt before. The men who were holding me couldn't do it any longer, as I easily tossed them away like rag dolls. I lost my mind, my humanity, and my sanity all at once, as I transformed and became a super saiyan for the first time. Captain Ginyu described it best. I became, 'a radically efficient killing machine.' I didn't feel anything as I destroyed each of the men in turn, killing them off effortlessly. The leader tried to turn and run, but I put my fist straight through him, ripping out his heart. I'll never forget the look on that man's face as he saw his own heart beating in front of him for his last seconds of life, before he crumpled to the ground, dead. I vaporized him afterwards, and then killed his entire gang, destroyed all of his ships, everything. I couldn't be stopped by any means. All I saw was red," Russ said, closing his fists tightly, playing back the event again in his head. "But even after I had defeated the gang and their leader, I couldn't bring my Laurie back. I screamed to the Heavens, begging them to give her back to me, but to no avail. She got involved with me, and as a result, she was killed. I vowed to myself that I'd never allow anything like that to happen again, so I promised myself that I'd never fall in love. It was not only to protect me, but to protect anybody else who was close to me."  
"Oh my god," Aeka whispered, stunned at his revelation. "I never knew."  
"And you would've never known if you didn't ask. I was going to carry that incident with me to my grave, alone. I don't need someone else shouldering it too. I don't wish that burden on anyone," he said, looking down at the Masaki house, which still looked bright, cheery, and festive.  
"Russ?"  
Sighing to himself, he allowed himself to relax a little. "What is it, Aeka?"  
"You're blaming yourself for something that you couldn't prevent," she said, walking down the steps to stand in front of him. "Even if you didn't become involved, she might've still been killed."  
Russ shook his head. "If she hadn't come outside and demanded that they stop, she might've lived and had gone ignored. I should've died that day, not her."  
"But Russ…" she began.  
"I'm sorry, Aeka," he interrupted. "I've said too much already. Go back to the house and join everybody with Achika," he said, lifting off into the air.  
"Please wait!" she called after him, but he ignored her. "I'm chasing you away again, aren't I?"  
Stopping his ascent, he hovered in the air, looking like a statue. Aeka lifted off the ground and joined him, stopping at his height so she could look him in the eyes. He looked back at her with such a hurt expression that Aeka thought he was going to start crying himself.  
"I'm sorry, Russ. I didn't mean to re-open old wounds. But I want to shoulder that burden with you," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders.  
"No. This is my problem, and my problem alone," he responded stubbornly, looking at her, but his gaze wasn't focused on her at all. "You're a great friend, Aeka. The best one I've ever had, really. If I could, I'd go out with you in a nanosecond. You are very beautiful, in the body, in the face, and in the mind. You are an asset to your planet, Princess Aeka," he said, using her title. "Your little sister thinks of me as her big brother at times. She loves playing games, cooking, and doing lots of fun things with me, and it helps me forget about my past. But when you're around, that old wound continues to fester, as I remember what happened to her, so many years ago. You're so much like her too. Just as beautiful, almost always smiling, and always having a kind thing to say no matter what I do. If you become involved with me, the risk to you would be too great. I can't let anything happen to you, as you are far more important than I."  
"Stop right there," she said, growing frustrated and angry. "You think that because I have a title, that my life is more important than yours?"  
Russ nodded, looking away.  
"You're human, just like me. We breathe the same air, eat the same food, and do the same things. How could you possibly think that?"  
"You live here with us, for now. One day, you will go back home to rule the most powerful empire in this galaxy," he said, causing her to stop her tirade. "That is your destiny or your fate. Me, on the other hand, will continue to fight for the good of the universe, if I survive the battle with Zorpheus. If I die, it's no big deal. Maybe a dozen people would miss me, and even they would eventually forget about me. You, if you happened to die or get killed, an entire EMPIRE would be devastated. Now do you see what I mean?" Russ asked, still floating in mid-air over the shrine steps.  
Aeka stopped and looked at him, unable to come up with a counter to his argument. She hung her head, letting out a deep sigh. "You could come with me, you know," she said.  
Shaking his head, Russ reached under her tear-streaked chin and carefully brought her face up to his. "That would never work, and you know it. I am a man from a race thought to be extinct, and he just waltzes in to become the Princess's groom? No, that couldn't happen. The entire planet would probably go up in civil war."  
"So what?" she said, squeezing his shoulders more tightly. "I don't care about that."  
"Aeka, you're letting your feelings cloud your judgment. You're being selfish, and that is not like you. You know it is for the best that we do not go any further, and I do too. You have a planet and an empire that you will eventually lead to greatness far beyond what your parents have established. I know you will. You're fair, just, kind, and compassionate, all of which I find to be necessary qualities of being the ruler of an empire," Russ said, smiling. "There is never a problem with a princess befriending someone of lower status, but a relationship is out of the question."  
Floating quietly, still having her hands on Russ's huge shoulders, she began to quietly sob to herself. She pulled herself closer to Russ, wrapping her arms around him, and then burying her face in his coat, letting out all of her frustrations over her stature, her life, her fate, and her anger. "It's not fair," she sobbed.  
"It's okay, Aeka," Russ said, bringing his arms up to hold her. "I will always be your friend and I'll always be there when you need me," he said, slowly descending to the ground. "That's what friends are for, ya know?"  
They both touched down on the ground, their feet crunching in the snow, still holding each other closely. Aeka had finally stopped crying, but she didn't get go of him, but Russ didn't mind it. It felt good to hold another in his arms like that, as he hadn't done it since he was with Laurie. She was so warm and soft, and Russ wished that he could hold her forever, but he knew that the evils of the universe would eventually tear her away from him. If it wasn't going to be the Jurai Empire, it was going to be an opponent of his. Either way, he knew it wouldn't last, or couldn't last. But just for the few minutes he was holding her, he would've told the entire universe to sit down and rotate if it had tried to take her from him.  
Quietly, Russ began to hum a song to himself, which he had heard from the Ah! My Goddess movie. It was called luna aeterna Nemuri wo Samasu Mono, which was sung by the goddess Belldandy. It was a very beautiful and peaceful song, and Russ hoped that it would calm her frayed nerves, as well as his own. Music always soothed the savage beast.  
Sighing softly, Aeka finally stood up on her own, steadying herself by holding onto Russ's arms, and then she gazed into his eyes. Her cheeks were stained from the many tears she had shed today, but it didn't matter. Even though he continued to say no, she knew he loved him, and that's all that mattered. She knew that it was only a matter of time before he'd say yes, and all she had to do was wait.  
  
"Well mom," Akaki said, standing up from the cushion his mother provided for him. "I should get back home now. I have to work tomorrow and my boss will kill me if I'm late again."  
Washu turned around from her latest weapon of death and destruction, a handheld flak cannon not all that dissimilar from the one seen in Unreal Tournament. "I wish you didn't have to go so soon, but it's okay. Where do you live now?"  
Akaki approached her laptop, keyed a few commands, and a star chart appeared. A targeting scope focused on one part of the galaxy and zoomed in, focused on a cluster of stars in between Jurai and Earth, zooming in further, and finally, he focused on a blue giant star, then brought up a large image of that planetary system. "I live here," he said, pointing to the fourth planet from the sun.  
"Bikinawa? That's supposed to be a very nice place," Washu observed.  
"It is. The weather control system on that planet is superb. They have it rain about every two days, and it's always scheduled so there are no surprises. I've lived there with my stepmother up to now," he said, scratching his head.  
"Your stepmother is still around?" Washu questioned, looking at him curiously.  
"Yeah. She's probably wondering what is taking me so long to come back home," Akaki chuckled. "She worries, but I love her anyway. Maybe one of these days I can have her meet you."  
"I'd like that," Washu agreed. "She raised you to be a very good young man. You should be very proud of her, and she of you."  
"Oh, I am," Akaki said, thumping his chest. "She's the best."  
Washu laughed quietly to herself, hiding what she was really feeling behind a mask of happiness. "You better call or come visit me soon, son. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you again."  
Smiling widely, he hugged his mother tightly. "One question, mom. Why are you so young?"  
Quietly taking in a breath, she let it out slowly. Backing away from her son, she bowed her head, put her hands together in front of her, and in the span of only a second, she morphed into her adult form. She grew nearly two feet in height, her hair got much longer, and her clothes stretched tight around her ample frame.  
Akaki looked like he was about to pass out, but he recovered a few moment later, admiring the way his mother was supposed to look. "I'm glad to see you finally came out of your shell, mother," he said. "I knew you were hiding your true form, but I must admit, I didn't know you were going to turn out like that," he said, ogling her.  
Washu smiled, striking a pose for him. "What do you think?" she asked, her voice considerably deeper than it was.  
"Great."  
"Good. Now stop staring at me like that. It isn't healthy," she teased, causing Akaki to turn red and look away.  
"I'm very happy that I was able to see you again, mom. It was the most amazing thing I had ever heard when Russ told me he knew where you were and what relation you were to me. If you hadn't told him about me, he might not have ever attempted to find me and reunite us. I have no idea what Christmas is, but I guess it is a holiday where miracles happen," he said, hugging Washu one more time.  
"It is. I'm going to have to do something to repay him one of these days," she said, holding her son once again. "I wish you didn't have to go so soon."  
"Me neither, but I have to. I will call you and visit you as often as I can though. You can count on that."  
Washu smiled, satisfied with his answer. "How are you going to get home?"  
"I guess Russ can just zap me back home, like he did when he brought me here," he said, scratching his head. "I have no idea how he does that."  
"Come on, Akaki. Let's go say goodbye to the family and then you can go," she said, pulling him out of the lab once again.  
Walking through the doorway and finding themselves in the living room once more, Achika, Nobuyuki, Tenchi, and Katsuhito were all seated on the furniture, quietly talking to each other. Washu knew that it was going to be a very long night for them, as they still had so much catching up to do. It warmed her heart to see them so happy once again, and her happiness was right up with theirs. Russ had made it the best holiday they had ever been involved in.  
"Hey guys," Akaki said, getting their attention. "I have to be going home now, but it was a great pleasure to meet all of you, including you, Achika. I wish you all well, and I'll be back to visit sometime in the future. Washu will make sure of that," he said, eyeing his mom, who hadn't changed out of her adult form.   
"Washu? Why are you so… grown?" Nobuyuki asked, casting his eyes to her blouse, which looked like it was going to burst open at any moment.  
"I cast off my shell. It's time I grew up and faced facts. Besides, I have my son here with me now, so there is no reason for me to be like that anymore. Because of how adults had behaved, I turned myself into a child, never, ever wanting to grow up, because I was afraid I'd become like the ones that took my son away. But I no longer have to worry about that anymore," she said, gazing into her son's eyes. "Take care of yourself, Akaki." She threw her arms around him once more and squeezed him tightly, trying to keep herself from crying.  
"We'll be seeing you later then," Tenchi said, smiling at him. "You're welcome back here anytime."  
"Thanks Tenchi. I really appreciate that," he said, bowing respectfully. "But where's Russ? I need him to take me back home."  
"He left the house several hours ago and hasn't come back in yet. I think he's with Aeka or something," Nobuyuki said, looking outside at the darkening sky. "It's amazing how time flies when you're occupied."  
"Indeed," Washu said, sighing quietly to herself. "Far too fast."  
Akaki walked to the door and peered outside. The little light that still existed was still more than enough to see out to the forest, as the snow had made the outside considerably brighter. "There he is," he said, looking toward the lake.  
Aeka and Russ were walking toward the spaceship. She was hanging on Russ's arm and they moved slowly, seemingly not affected at all by the blustery cold.  
Poking his head out the door, he yelled to the twosome. "Russ! I'm ready to head back home now! Can you take me back?" he called  
"Sure! Just one second!" Russ yelled back, turning to Aeka and telling her to wait a moment. Russ quickly made his way over to Washu's son and smiled. "Ready?"  
"Yeah," he said, turning toward everybody again. "Say goodbye to Mihoshi, Sasami, and Kiyone for me, would you?" he requested.  
Tenchi nodded his head. "No problem."  
Akaki turned back toward Russ and extended his hand. "Let's go."  
Grasping his hand in his own, Russ put two fingers to his forehead, but before he teleported, he saw a tear trickle out of the corner of Washu's eye, as she smiled and waved. He initiated the instantaneous movement ability a second later, and vanished.  
"Goodbye, my son," Washu said again, her hand outstretched to where her son stood just moments before.  
Washu felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked into the wizened face of Katsuhito, who looked at her with sympathy. Turning toward him, she buried her face in his robes, quietly sobbing.  
"He will come back, you know," Katsuhito said quietly, holding her gently.  
"It still doesn't make it any easier. I was only able to see him for such a short period of time today. But I know he'll come back soon," she said, pulling away from the Shinto priest. Sniffing and drying her eyes, she turned and went back into her lab, gently closing the door behind her.  
  
It was now late at night, but Achika, Tenchi, and Ryoko were all still awake, even after everybody else had gone to bed. Russ and Aeka were still awake too, as they hadn't come inside yet. Sasami was asleep, snuggled next to Ryo-Ohki, Kiyone and Mihoshi were both sleeping soundly, happy to be in good company once again, and Nobuyuki was dozing, a smile on his face. He couldn't stay awake any longer from getting up so early, and the sake didn't help either.  
Tenchi and his mother had talked with each other ever since the rest of the family had gone to bed. He had been waiting for an opportunity to talk with her on his own, even though Ryoko refused to go to bed until he went himself. She remained quiet, contentedly snuggled up against Tenchi's arm, dozing off from time to time.  
Achika looked at her, and smiled. "Your fiancé is very pretty, Tenchi. She looks so cute like that, snuggled against your arm."  
Looking down at the top of her head, admiring her spiky, cyan hair, he smiled and nodded. "She's not like anybody I've ever known. I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her. It took me so long to decide to do that, but I really had to listen to my heart. I decided that this is the woman that I want to live out the rest of my days with, and I know she wants the same."  
"I know. I've seen some of the events that had led to this, Tenchi. I saw the Haruna incident, the Kain incident, and many other things that made me believe that you were in love with this girl. Aeka was deeply in love with you too, but even she realized that you didn't love her in the same way that you loved Ryoko, and in turn, she surrendered you to her. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen and it couldn't have been played out any better than that," Achika said quietly, trying not to disturb the sleeping space pirate. "Aeka was heartbroken, but she choose to do it, despite what you might've thought. Even though you never actually chose, they did it for you."  
"Yeah. I remember how strangely everybody was acting when I had come back. Ryoko was more calm, but stayed near me far more often than Aeka did, and whenever Ryoko would show a display of affection, Aeka didn't mind it or challenge it. After a while, Ryoko and Aeka quit fighting altogether and became good friends. It has been a lot more peaceful around here since that time. Once in a while, I almost miss the loudness and the chaos," he said, watching his mother who was still sitting on the lazyboy recliner.  
Giggling quietly, she smiled. "Yes. But Aeka was very depressed for along time, even though she did her best not to show it. However, ever since Russ has entered her life, she has become her old self again, but more mature, to a point. She tries to do little things to get his attention, but he's nothing like you," Achika explained, looking out the window at Ryu-Oh. "Even though he'd probably never admit it, he IS in love with Aeka. It's just that he had something happen in his past that made him the way he is today."  
Tenchi listened curiously. "Really? You know why he acts like that?"  
She nodded. "But I cannot tell you that. That is something that he'd have to reveal to you on his own. Do not go asking him about it or it may make him very, very angry at Aeka, because right now, she is the only one who knows about it."  
"Really? When did he tell her?"  
"Today."  
Tenchi raised his eyebrow in surprise. "How do you know?"  
"Remember Tenchi, I am dead. In being this way, I have access to knowledge that nobody else would imagine. I can read your mind, Russ's mind, or do almost whatever I please like this," she explained, resting her head and curling up on the chair, yawning. "He did tell her today. I wasn't paying complete attention to it, but I know he did it."  
Sighing quietly to himself, Tenchi smiled, and then yawned. "I still wish I could've grown up with you, mom. I really missed not having you around. Dad did the best he could and I'm proud of him for everything that he has done, except for becoming the biggest pervert this side of Japan," he said, chuckling. "Grandpa helped him out as much as he could, but still, I missed having a motherly figure around the house. I wish you hadn't passed away so young," Tenchi said, looking a little sad.  
Achika slowly looked down to the floor, letting the smile slip from her face. "I wish I didn't die as young as I did either, Tenchi. I wasn't able to be there when you needed me, or was I able to comfort you when you were feeling down. I couldn't do anything but watch. When you were sad, I was sad. When you were happy, I was happy. Watching you grow up was absolutely wonderful, but not being a part of your life made it one of the worst things I've ever known."  
"It's okay, mom. You saved your life and my father's life during the first battle with Kain. You sacrificed a lot of your life to make sure we all had a future. I'm proud of you, mom. I couldn't be more proud of you."  
Achika looked up into Tenchi's brown eyes, seeing nothing but truthfulness and happiness from him. The tears flowed freely for a few moments, but she brushed them away, and then smiled. "Thank you, Tenchi. I always wondered how you felt about me not being there. It makes me feel so good to hear you say that. You mean the world to me, Tenchi. You still do."  
Tenchi grinned. "I know."  
"Well, it is very late. We should go to bed," Achika said, her eyes half closed, but she was smiling and looked very contented.  
"Yeah. It's past eleven, and I'm usually in bed around nine or ten," he said, looking out the window. "I'm so happy to have you back, even if it was just for one day."  
Achika continued to smile. "I'm very happy that Russ arranged it," she said. "I'm not sure about all of the details, but I think Kain was killed and that he escaped from Hell, but I could still be mistaken. But I know that he came back here just to get revenge on you and everybody else. The one thing he didn't count on was Russ being here."  
"It's a good thing he was here, or I don't know what would've happened."  
"Kain was a very powerful being, but nothing in any universe can touch what a saiyan warrior can do," she said, thinking back to the confrontation. "But because Kain had done what he did, Russ was able to arrange for my return as well. This had only been done one time before in the past, and that was with Goku, about a thousand years ago."  
Tenchi scratched his head. "I can't remember, but I think Russ might've said it was only a hundred years ago. Oh well. Maybe my memory is failing me. Too sleepy," he said, chuckling.  
"Let's go to bed, Tenchi. I'll still be here in the morning and I'll be here until noon tomorrow."  
"Are you sure you can't stay any longer?" Tenchi asked, hoping that she could.  
Achika shook her head. "I must return to Heaven. It was difficult enough for Russ just to give me the one day. Apparently, the Grand Kai threw a fit, but when he realized what had happened, he became sympathetic to me and him, and decided to allow it."  
"I'll have to make sure Russ knows that I really appreciate what he has done for us. All of us," he said, looking at Ryoko, who was still sleeping peacefully, leaning against his arm.  
"Would you like to know how he made your compatibility possible?" she asked, watching Tenchi's ears perk up in interest.  
Looking from side to side, he nodded his head. "Sure."  
Achika leaned forward a little and lowered her voice. "Have you ever heard of the Dragonballs?"  
Tenchi nodded his head. "Yeah. Russ mentioned them on a couple of occasions."  
"They have the power to grant wishes. The balls summon a dragon god named Shenron, and that god will grant the person up to three wishes. Russ used them last night."  
"Really? When did he do it?"  
"After everybody had gone to bed and went to sleep. I was here with everybody, and I watched what Russ was doing. He flew out of the house when everybody had fallen asleep and went to Kame's lookout, where they had gathered the Dragonballs for him. Once he summoned the dragon, he made his three wishes. The first one was major, in that he wished for the dragon's ability to grant immorality to be banished forever. The second wish was to restore Aeka's ship, and the third wish was for you two to become compatible and be able to bear a healthy, happy baby," Achika said, watching Tenchi's widening eyes.  
"So he DID perform a miracle last night," he said, looking at her in wonder.  
She nodded her head. "Yes."  
"Then we owe him a debt of gratitude that we can never repay," Tenchi said, leaning back into the couch a little more, adjusting his arm, which was starting to fall asleep. Ryoko stirred slightly, then drifted back to sleep.  
Achika shook her head. "No. He did it because he wanted to, not because you asked it of him. It was a gift from him to you, and seeing you two smile was more than enough to make him satisfied."  
"Still, I wish I could do something like that for him. It seems almost unfair that he should perform miracles for our sake when we can't return the favor."  
"That's what I love about you, Tenchi. You're always so kind and fair. Your father and grandfather raised you well. I'm so proud of you, my son," she said, smiling.  
Tenchi blushed, embarrassed over the praise he was receiving. "Thank you, mom."  
They sat in silence for a few moments, and then Achika stood up from her seat, stretching her arms over her head, letting out a big yawn. "It's time for bed," she whispered. "I'll see you in the morning, Tenchi."  
"Where are you going to sleep?"  
"With my husband, of course," she said, smiling. "He'll be pleasantly surprised to wake up next to me, just like he used to," she said, remembering the many good times she shared with him.  
Tenchi nodded his head. "Good night, mom. See you in the morning," he said, watching her quietly ascend the stairs and turn down the hallway, her long, black ponytail trailing behind her. He turned his attention to his new bride to be, and gently scooped her up in his arms. She was a little heavier than he thought she'd be, but he was very careful and gentle with her, as he too, climbed the stairs to his bedroom.  
After closing the door behind him, he quietly walked over to his bed and carefully laid Ryoko down on the mattress, which was unmade from when they woke up early this morning. Covering her up, he looked down on her, thinking she resembled a kitten, snuggled under the covers. She looked so happy and contented, and it warmed his heart even more. Bliss was almost an understatement for the happiness that he felt, and nothing could take that away from him.  
He took off most of his clothes and he too, slid under the covers, but he then started thinking about his mother's return to the other world, and how he'd probably never see her again for the rest of his life. But still, it was a huge treat to be able to see her again. Remarkable, amazing, or even a marvel couldn't describe what Russ had done for him and his family in bringing her back.  
Sleep continued to pull at Tenchi's mind, and he closed his eyes, allowing sleep to overtake him, recharging his mind, body, and soul for the last and final day of Achika's return.  
  
"Well, Aeka. We should go inside the house and go to bed. It's almost midnight," Russ said, sitting on the mirror bench that she kept in her room onboard Ryu-Oh. Aeka was seated at the foot of her bed, and they had been talking to each other for the past several hours. She had given Russ a tour of her ship, showing him the many interesting technologies that went into the construction of a Royal Tree-ship. She could tell that Russ was impressed, but he was disappointed in the lack of computerized technology.  
For the fourth time in the last fifteen minutes, Aeka yawned, stretching her arms over her head. Flopping back onto her king-sized bed, she continued to stretch, causing her sweater to roll up her stomach, exposing a little bit of skin, but she quickly re-adjusted it and covered herself back up again.   
"We should, I guess. Everybody is probably wondering where we went," she said, looking at the ceiling of her room, which was covered in an abundance of plant life. The soft lighting of her bedroom accentuated it, making it look very cozy.  
Russ stood up from the bench, rubbing his behind from sitting on it awkwardly. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"  
Looking at him with happy, but tired eyes, she smiled. "Why don't we just spend the night in my ship? Nobody will miss us. Sasami has Ryo-Ohki and you sleep alone, so why not?" she invited.  
Grinning, Russ shook his head. "And start all kinds of rumors? No way."  
"What if we make those rumors true?" she grinned, the light reflecting off of her amethyst eyes, making her look far, far more attractive in the low light. The shadows enhanced her look, especially around her chest area.  
Russ closed his eyes, but continued to smile. "Now Aeka, we talked about that already. We're just friends. That's all."  
"You're no fun," she teased, rolling onto her side to face him directly, as he moved over to the stairs. "Come on. You can sleep on the floor or in the bed. It doesn't matter. I'm not going to do anything and I know you're not. It's just a sleepover. Nothing more," she invited again, smiling seductively.  
"You don't know when to quit, do you?"  
"Nope. Never," she responded, sitting up. "Besides, I haven't slept in my bed since Ryu-Oh crashed about three years ago."  
"I'm not stopping you from being here," Russ said, leaning against the doorjamb. "I'll be heading back to my igloo for a room. I'll see you in the morning, Aeka."  
For the very first time, Aeka used a zanzoken technique, and appeared directly in Russ's path. He stopped in his tracks, utterly surprised that she had learned it without any additional help. "When the…"  
"Going somewhere?" she giggled, pushing him back into the room. "I've got a spare futon. You can sleep right here," she said, pointing to the foot of her bed.  
"Aeka! Now cut that out," he said, trying to get around her.  
"Cut what out, Tenchi?" she said, causing him to look at her in bewilderment.  
"Tenchi?! What are you talking about?"  
Aeka grinned. "You're acting just like he used to." She again gave him a gentle shove, pushing him a little further into the room. "Just spend the night in here. That's all I ask. What's the harm in that?"  
"What's the harm in me going back to my room?" Russ retorted, starting to enjoy her teasing a little.  
"You have no idea how vindictive a Jurian Princess can be when she's been scorned or refused," she said, looking into his eyes with a fire that Russ had never seen before. "Let me fetch the futon and you can sleep down there," she said.  
"But, I don't have my fan here. I always have to have a fan or something running when I go to sleep. It helps me relax," he said, now feeling uncomfortable.  
"Excuses, excuses," she said, walking past him to her closet, where she fetched a blue futon. She threw it at him, but he caught it easily. "Make your bed. You're spending the night in here, with me," she said, smiling. "I must change into my nightclothes. Don't go anywhere now, or I'll have to hurt you." Turning away from him, she went into her walk-in closet, looking for her silk lingerie nightgown.  
Russ groaned quietly to himself, knowing he was going to regret this. Unwrapping the futon, he spread it out on the floor, working the wrinkles out of it. He finished about two seconds before Aeka walked out of the closet, wearing a gorgeous, partially transparent nightgown. Her gold necklace was barely visible though the clothing, but her assets were VERY apparent. Russ's eyes went wide and he instantly turned several shades of crimson, turning his head away, but peeking at her through the corner of his eye.  
"Whoa. Um, that's a very revealing piece of clothing you have there, Aeka," he stammered.  
"My mother gave me this before I originally left Jurai. She told me to wear this when I met someone I was attracted to," she said, moving across the floor and coming up behind Russ, gently taking his arm and holding it.  
Russ's muscles became considerably stiffer as his nerves started to fray. "It's very nice," he said, still not looking at her.  
Giggling quietly to herself, she was pleased with his reaction. "Well, why don't you get into your nightclothes then, too?" she said.  
"I just sleep in my underwear," he said. "But I'll sleep in my clothes tonight."  
"Why? Afraid to show me something?" she teased.  
Russ looked at her, and a second later, looked away, forgetting for an instant that she was wearing something extremely sexually appealing. "You just want to see me with my shirt off, is that it?" he asked, teasing her back.  
She walked over to the side of her bed, furthest from the stairs. "That's part of it," she said, folding back the covers, carefully climbing into the ultra soft sheets and very warm comforter.  
"Bah," Russ said, tossing back his own blanket and sliding in. "Good night, Aeka. If rumors start blowing around about this, I'm going to kill you," he said, watching her out of the corner of his eye.  
"I don't care," she said, laying back against her pillow, feeling right at home once again. "Ahhh, this bed feels so good. It's been so long since I've been in it," she said, wistfully.  
Out of sight, Russ smiled and rolled his eyes. "Whatever."  
"Dim the lights," she commanded.  
"How?" Russ answered, but he didn't need to. The lights in her room grew dark, and then turned off, however, there was still a very soft glow coming from several nightlights from around the room. "Oh."  
Giggling quietly to herself, she snuggled into the covers, dozing off very quickly, tired out from the day's activities. Russ, on the other hand, took a little longer due the lack of his fan, but he too, fell asleep. The two Jurai Guardians remained on guard outside of her chamber, doing their silent duty once again.  
  
Morning approached rapidly, but there was no sunlight on this day. The sky was gray and overcast, but it was a little warmer than it had been over the last couple of days. A fog had settled into the valley as the snow began to melt, surrounding the house in a thick cloud. You couldn't see the forest from inside the living room.  
However, in contrast to the gloomy weather outside, Nobuyuki woke to one of the most pleasant surprises he had ever had. Achika was curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder, sleeping soundly. Her golden halo was still on top of her head, but it didn't interfere with her posture. Almost forgetting that she had come back for a day, Nobuyuki blinked his eyes, reached out with a trembling hand, and very gently touched Achika's arm, feeling her warmth.  
"Good morning, honey," she whispered, letting her eyes open slowly. She had the most gorgeous, perfect smile that Nobuyuki had ever seen, and it warmed his heart to be near her once more.  
"Good morning," he whispered back, smiling down into her young face. "You're still as beautiful as the day I met you," he said, holding her close.   
"I hope so," she said, grinning. "I came back like this just for that reason."  
Soft, gray light filtered in from his window as he looked at his wife, never wanting to let her go, ever again. They laid there for several more minutes in silence, just enjoying each other's company.  
"You have to go back today?" Nobuyuki asked, quietly, as it almost looked like Achika had dozed back off.  
"Mmmm hmm," she mumbled. "I wish I didn't have to. But it was still wonderful to be able to come back and see you all again in person, though."  
"I'm glad you came back too. I missed you so much," he said, hugging her tightly.  
Achika smiled. "I missed you too. I missed having you hold me close. I missed having you make me laugh. I missed the warmth of your touch and the smile on your face," she said, looking at him passionately. "You have no idea how much."  
"If I could change fate, I would," Nobuyuki said. "I'd conquer the universe if it meant you could stay with me for the rest of my life."  
"I know," she said, snuggling against Nobuyuki's chest.  
"I wonder if Russ could do anything about it," he said aloud, looking at the ceiling.  
Achika shook her head. "No. Unfortunately, he cannot. Not even with the power of the Dragonballs. I've been dead for far too long, and restoring my life now would be impossible."  
"Why?"  
"The Dragonballs can restore a life, but only if the person died within a year's time. If it goes beyond that, the dragon can't grant that wish."  
Nobuyuki sighed calmly. "I guess it was our fate," he quietly said.  
"Fate can be a very cruel thing," Achika said, gazing into her husband's face. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, but it was hard enough just for Russ to give me this one day. That, in itself, was a miracle."  
"I'm glad he did. I owe him more thanks than I could ever provide," he said, sighing again. "When will he be taking you home?"  
"At noon today," she answered. "Why don't we get up and make breakfast for the family, just like we used to?"  
Nobuyuki smiled. "I'd like that," he answered.  
Throwing back the covers, they slowly got out of bed, and then dressed themselves. After they got into the kitchen, they brought out several pots and pans, and gathered a variety of ingredients. Achika took half the stove and Nobuyuki took the other half, and they began cooking. Every once in a while, they'd bump into each other, smile, and continue what they were doing.  
Letting his pan simmer, Nobuyuki went into the dining area and quickly set the table, providing a set of chopsticks for everybody, a napkin, and a teacup. Even though Christmas was over, the living room still looked like a winter wonderland, sparkling a variety of colors and reflecting the dull light off of the decorations. He smiled, and then quietly thanked Heaven for letting his wife return to him, even though it was for only one day. But then, just as silently, he thanked Russ too. Quickly returning to the kitchen, he shook his pan, stirring the vegetables with his cooking chopsticks.  
"I hope we have enough stuff to feed everybody," Nobuyuki said, glancing over at his young wife. "Russ is a bottomless pit."  
Giggling quietly, Achika nodded her head. "I saw him eat a couple of times, but it is still nothing like seeing it in person. But we should have more than enough for everybody."  
After a few moments, Sasami slid open the kitchen door, looking a little sleepy, but very happy and contented. She was smiling, and Ryo-Ohki was perched on top of her head, as usual. "Good morning you two," she greeted. "It smells good."  
"Thank you, Sasami," Achika responded, finishing off her stir-fry and letting the contents spill out onto a serving platter. "You're a very good cook too."  
"Thanks. May I help?" she asked, stepping over to the refrigerator and withdrawing a box of eggs, milk, cheese, ham, and orange juice.  
Nobuyuki grinned. "Sure! I'm just finishing with my side of the stove, so you can use these burners," he said, piling his vegetables next to Achika's, on the same platter.  
Taking Nobuyuki's frying pan and wiping the juices out of it with a bunch of paper towels, she set it back on the stove, then withdrew a bowl out of a nearby cupboard. Cracking three eggs into the bowl, she beat them with Nobuyuki's chopsticks, and then she took three pieces of cheese, tearing them up and mixed those into the eggs. She set it aside, and then began dicing up the ham, after which she dumped into the eggs as well.  
"What are you making, Sasami?" Achika asked, unfamiliar with the dish she was making.  
"It's called an omelet. Russ showed me how to do one a little while after he moved in," she explained, dumping the contents into the frying pan, where it immediately started sizzling. Withdrawing a spatula from one of the drawers, she slid it under the eggs, making sure they didn't get stuck.  
Watching her curiously, Achika realized that she was starting to fall behind, so she started to make the Kyoto miso soup, as she knew it was Tenchi's favorite flavor. It was a light, sweet kind, and she liked it too.  
The breakfast making frenzy continued for another twenty minutes, until it was ready to be served. The smells from all the food had roused everybody out of their slumber, and everybody trudged downstairs, all of them happy and all of them seemingly satisfied.  
Kiyone and Mihoshi had today off as well, and they were going to enjoy themselves. They had gone up into their spaceship yesterday and they confirmed the message from the Galaxy Police Headquarters, and that they were now going to be providing funding for their living expenses. Kiyone was very happy and relieved, but Mihoshi didn't seem to care either way, as long as she could have her sweets.  
Smiling at each other like the day they had first met, Tenchi and Ryoko had come downstairs quietly, and took their seat at the table. The engagement ring that was on Ryoko's finger glittered brightly, and she continued to admire it, so very happy that her wish had come true, in more ways than one.  
Washu had come out of her lab, still in her adult form. She was wearing an adult sized science academy uniform now, but she still looked very attractive. Even though her son wasn't with her, she still had a bright smile and a happy aura about her, since her son did call her earlier in the morning. That was all she needed to brighten her day.  
After the group had sat down at the table, Katsuhito, Aeka, and Russ all walked in at once, all of them satisfied and happy. Aeka took her usual seat, but Achika was in Russ's, but he didn't mind. Taking a plate and filling it with food, he sat on the floor a little distance away, eating much slower than he normally did, not wanting to get back up so quickly. He hated reaching over anybody. Aeka put up a brief argument, but didn't pursue it for very long.  
Breakfast passed by fairly quickly, as most people were unable to finish all the food. But before they began to clean it up, Russ sat down in his seat, kicking himself into overdrive, consuming every morsel of food that was left. Achika looked at him, a small sweatdrop on the side of her head, but she smiled and laughed quietly once he let out a large belch, which Russ did his best to conceal.  
"Yum. Good stuff," he said, standing up, and then heading back outside. Aeka followed him a few moments later.  
Smiling in complete pleasure, Achika remained sitting at the table, next to Nobuyuki.  
"It feels like everybody here is a part of my family," she said, quietly.  
"They're all a part of the family now. They help fill the loneliness that I have when I think about you when you're gone," Nobuyuki responded, keeping his voice low.  
Achika sighed. "Well, I have about two hours left to stay. What would you like to do until then?"  
Quietly debating with himself, thinking of several different things that they could possibly do, he failed to come up with anything.  
Sliding over to her husband, Achika whispered into his ear. "We could watch some of your porn," she said, causing him to turn several shades of red. She giggled, and then started laughing. "I'm kidding."  
He smiled in response, and put his arm around her. "If you don't mind, I'd just like to sit here for a little longer."  
"That's fine with me," she responded quietly, watching Sasami and Ryo-Ohki play a fighting game on her Playstation. "That's perfectly fine with me."  
  
Setting his gravity machine back to two thousand times Earth's normal gravity, Russ began his warm-up exercises, stretching his legs, back, and his arms. After doing that for several moments, he felt good enough to begin training. The fog had lifted, but the sun was still behind all the clouds, unable to break through.  
"Would you mind if I trained with you today, Russ? I'd like to practice sparring against you, this time," she said, stretching and performing her own warm-up routine.  
Grinning to himself, Russ decided to tease her. "Oh, so since you learned the blur technique, you think you're good enough to train on my level now, is that it?" he said.  
"Nope. I just want to spar against you, that's all. I've got a few surprises up my sleeve," she said, stretching her arms over her head. "Besides, I need to work off this breakfast."  
Russ shook his head, but smiled. "Okay, but I'm not going to go all that easy on you," he taunted, standing on his hands, pushing himself into the air several times.  
"That's fine with me," she responded, tilting from side to side, groaning quietly.  
After a few more minutes of warm-up, Russ and Aeka faced each other at the lake edge.  
"How about we make a little bet?" Aeka invited, smiling mischievously.  
"I'm open to suggestions."  
Aeka smiled. "If I can land a punch or a kick anywhere on you, you have to agree to make me breakfast for the next week," she said, putting her fists out in front of her.  
"And if you don't do it in a time span of one minute, you… uh… Well, I can't have you making anything in the kitchen. I'm not interested in being poisoned," he teased, seeing Aeka's cheeks grow a little red.  
"Why you little…" she yelled, charging him, her fist outstretched, aimed directly for his face.  
Russ nodded his head to the side, smiling at her, letting her fists sail past harmlessly. "Missed me!" he taunted, making the princess more irritated. She began a frenzy of punches and kicks, but Russ placed his hands in front of each blow, blocking them effortlessly, smiling widely. He didn't move from his position, but Aeka rotated around him, trying to land a blow on his back, his head, his chest, or anywhere else that she thought was venerable. After a moment, he caught one of her fists in his hand, spun around a few times, tossing her into the air.  
"That's not fair!" she shouted, throwing a green ki ball at Russ, who swatted it back into the sky, where it fizzled out. She charged him again, trying to land a punch or a kick somewhere, but Russ's hands were just too fast. They appeared everywhere she tried to hit, and she only had about thirty seconds remaining. Even though Russ never actually moved from where he was standing, he was still impossible to hit. Using the zanzoken technique for the second time, she blurred behind Russ and swung her leg at his head, but again he blocked it, turned around to face her, a big grin on his face.  
"Not bad, but too slow," he said, throwing her into the air again.  
Only having five seconds remaining, she zanzokened behind him again, but instead of trying to punch or kick him, she grabbed Russ's arm, swung herself in front of him, and then drove her fist directly into Russ's face, knocking him off of his feet, causing him to skid about twenty five feet from where he was. She landed on the ground, stunned at what had just happened.  
"Oww," Russ groaned, getting up. His coat and pants were soaked from the melting snow, but he quickly powered up, drying his clothes, and then returned to normal.  
"You did that on purpose!" Aeka shouted, storming up to him.  
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Tough to tell, isn't it?" Russ snickered, a red mark on his cheek from her impact. "But it isn't a total loss. I don't have to eat raw sewage and I get to cook for a week. I think it's a nice tradeoff, don't you?" he said, watching her grow super red.  
"I CAN COOK!" she screamed, driving her fist into Russ's face again at such a high rate of speed that it sent him flying into the side of the mountain where he impacted, creating a small crater. Her eyes went wide when she saw the debris go up from where he crash-landed. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" she yelled, quickly flying over to him.  
For the second time today, Russ picked himself up off of the ground. "You've gotten a lot stronger and faster. I'll have to remember that for our next sparring match," he said, smiling, relaxing in his crater. "But now, I need a bath."  
Aeka continued to apologize over and over, still stunned at what she did.  
On the inside of the house, Sasami, Nobuyuki, and Achika all laughed, looking at the twosome outside enjoy themselves.  
  
Noontime came all too quickly for the family. Russ was sitting at the organ bench, playing a few tunes to himself through the headphones as the family said their goodbyes to Achika.  
The happy mood that existed throughout the household seemed to be on the verge of leaving with Achika's imminent departure, but everybody did their best to hide it. The entire family was seated in the living room, ready to say goodbye for the last time. They all knew that they'd never see her again in this lifetime, but the time that she had spent with the family was time that would always, always be cherished. Nobuyuki had taken several group photographs of everybody, including Russ, for safekeeping in his photo album that he kept solely of Achika. He decided it was time to add a little more to that book.  
Achika stood up, as the clock had read eleven fifty five a.m. "I'm so happy that I was able to come back and see everybody. It is a new memory that I will take with me for all eternity," she said, trying to keep from crying, but failing. Several tears trickled out of the corner of her eyes and she brushed them away, but they were quickly replaced.  
Nobuyuki stepped up to her first, hugging her for the last time. "Take care of yourself, my love," he said, squeezing her. "I will miss you and will think of you every day."  
"I know," she said. "I'll be watching you."  
Smiling, brushing away his own tears, he stepped aside, allowing Katsuhito to step up.  
"It was wonderful to have you spend the time you did with all of us. You will be missed," he said, hugging his daughter. "Please take care of yourself."  
"I'll miss you too, dad," she said, sniffling.  
"Mom?" Tenchi said, standing to her left.  
"Yes, son?" she responded, turning toward him, noticing that he too, was crying.  
"I'll miss you. Thank you for coming to visit us for a day. You have no idea how much that meant to me, dad, and grandpa," he said, holding his mother close.  
"I know, Tenchi. I know. I'm happy that I was able to come here as well. It has given me an opportunity to actually say goodbye to everyone, and I can't thank Russ enough for that," she said, looking at the saiyan, who was now quietly sitting on the bench, watching the farewells. "I'll be watching over you. All of you," she said, looking around the room at the tear filled, smiling faces.  
"Goodbye, Lady Achika," Aeka said, bowing respectfully.  
"See you around," Ryoko included, folding her arms behind her, smiling, as Tenchi moved to stand next to her.  
Sasami ran up and threw her little arms around Achika's waist, smiling up at her, despite the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'll miss you," she said, hugging her. Ryo-Ohki also meowed at her from atop Sasami's head.  
"I'll miss you too, Sasami and Ryo-Ohki," she said, sniffling again.  
Mihoshi waved her hand, smiling happily. She was the only one in the room who wasn't saddened by her departure, but instead, looked on it with happiness. "Bye bye! Eat all the sweets you can while you're there in Heaven!" she said, causing Kiyone to hang her head in shame.  
Achika giggled and nodded her head. "I will, Mihoshi."  
"Take care of yourself, Lady Achika," Kiyone said, bowing out of respect.  
"Thank you for coming, Achika," Washu said, also bowing politely.  
Smiling at both of them, Achika nodded her head.  
Russ stood up from his seat on the bench and slowly approached her from the side. "Are you now ready, Achika?" he asked quietly, as the clock and now read noon.  
Taking a deep breath through her mouth, she let it out in a huge sigh. "Goodbyes are never easy," she said, looking into his eyes.  
"I know," he answered, extending his hand.  
Turning toward the group one last time, she tried to smile, sniffling once more. "Goodbye, everyone. Take care of yourselves, and always know that I'll be watching over you," she said, placing her hand gently in Russ's.  
A chorus of sobs and goodbyes quietly burst from the group as Russ placed his two fingers to his forehead. Feeling a sense of sadness himself, he shook it off as he initiated his special ability, and the two of them vanished from sight.  
  
"I still want to thank you, Russ, for going through all the trouble you did to take me back home," Achika said, standing at the entrance to the Earth's check-in station. "There is no way me or the family could ever repay this debt of gratitude.  
Russ smiled and shook his head, gently brushing away her tears with his hand. "It's okay. Doing this for people like them and you is what makes me happy, and that is more than enough for me," he said.  
Wrapping her arms around Russ, she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his green karate gi, quietly sobbing. He held her close until she was finished, gently rubbing her back and doing his best to soothe her.  
"Well," Russ said, looking at the checkpoint. "I guess it is time for you to rejoin the others. They're waiting for you in Heaven, you know."  
"I know, but it still doesn't make it any easier," she said, sniffling.  
"You can still see your family anytime you want as well."  
"But I can't participate in it. I wish I could."  
Russ continued to hold her, letting out a heavy sigh. "If I could do something about it, I would. But even the gods cannot do certain things. They have to obey fate, or the universe would come apart," he explained.  
"I guess you're right," she said. "You take care of my family now, you hear?"  
"Yes, ma'am," he answered, releasing her, smiling down into her brown eyes.  
Taking several steps away from him, she then turned toward the check-in station, slowly heading back home. But before she got too far, she turned back toward Russ.  
"Just so you know, Zorpheus is on his way."  
Russ nodded his head. "Yes, I felt it. He's coming to Earth to wish for immortality from the Dragonballs, but he's got a nasty little surprise if he tries to do it."  
"Yeah. I guess so."  
"Take care of yourself, Achika. It was an honor and a pleasure to meet you," he said, smiling at her, hoping to alleviate some of the sadness she had.  
"Likewise, Russ. But just so you know, Zorpheus will arrive on June twelfth. You will have to be prepared to face him by then."  
Russ's eyes widened at her revelation. "I will not fail. Your family is in good hands," he announced, thumping his chest.  
"The best hands," she answered, turning and running to the building.  
Watching her go inside, Russ sighed once again. "Only six more months to go," he said. "I hope everything will be ready by then."  
Placing two fingers to his forehead, Russ took one last look at the check-in station. "Bye, Achika. I'll protect your family, or die trying," he said, disappearing from the spirit 


End file.
